Kingdom Hearts: Keyblade Princess
by awsomeangel200
Summary: Twenty years have passed since the defeat of Xehanort. All has been peaceful until a new enemy rises from the darkness with the attempt to create a world where only darkness is its inhabitants. With Sora away, it is up to his daughter Yume to travel to various worlds in hopes of finding the power to prevent the distortion between light and darkness.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** *Spoiler Alert!* Before you guys tell me, 'Sora disappeared at the end of KH3!' Calm your jets ok. First, I plan this story way before KH3 came out, and we all know how long it took for that game to come out. Second, Sora isn't gone for good since there's a strong possibility he'll be back, plus it's Kingdom Hearts! Nobody dies! Third, this story is suppose to take place years after the original series so it's safe to assume that Sora was rescued and everyone lived happily ever after. And lastly, I haven't played KH3 yet but I've herd mixed reviews of it as well as ReMind. So I'm looking forward to playing it when I have the chance.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts!

* * *

**Prolounge**

_Long ago, all of the worlds were in peace until the darkness started to plunge over them. This was caused by the people who fought over the light, a realm which held the purest light known as Kingdom Hearts. The darkness began to take over people's hearts, then it engulfed the worlds, until a spark of light shine through that darkness, the light that still remains in the hearts of children. The worlds were then scattered across the universe. _

_A man named Xehanort desired an ultimate weapon known as the X-blade. He wanted to start a new Keyblade War in order to forge it once more. Until a boy named Sora who was unexpectedly chosen by the Keyblade halted his ambition. He traveled to various worlds and made connections with people along the way. Though he was just a boy, he had great courage and a strong heart. And with it, he managed to bring peace back to the worlds and brought back the hearts of those who were once lost. _

_This is not his story._

* * *

Yume was floating in an endless abyss of water. It felt like she was in a dream. Was she dreaming? Was this real? She couldn't tell if this was all in her head or not. It all felt too real. She felt her blond hair flowing through the water like it was made of thin air. Her body floated as if she was paper. She slowly opened her blue eyes as she gasped for air.

She was fourteen-years-old. She had light blond hair that went down to her shoulders, and spiky bangs that drop down her eyes. She wore a sleeveless white tank top with a zipper, and a red skirt that went above her knees. Her waist was wrapped around with a blue belt. She had a pink long-sleeved jacket with a black hoodie, and a necklace with a pink heart around her neck. The back of her jacket went down to her ankles like a coat. She wore a pair of fingerless red gloves, and wore red gym shoes and medium length socks that went a bit over her ankles.

Her eyes were blue like the sky, and her skin was pale with a pink tone same for her lips. Her face was as delicate as a doll's face, her cheeks were well-rounded and smooth as if they still had some baby fat in them.

_"Something about __**today**_…_doesn't feel the same as __**yesterday**__._

_I feel __**different**_ _from how I was __**before**__. _

_Will I ever be the same as how __**I was**__, or will I be __**someone else**__?"_

Yume said those words as she slowly began to drift back to sleep. Bubbles escaped from her mouth as she continued to fall deeper into the abyss of the eternal ocean. She then awoken into a different place. She looked through her surroundings to see that she was on a small island. The one her and her friends would go to hang out.

She shielded her eyes from the sun as its light hit her face. Then she looked up to notice that a boy with light brown spiked hair was standing in the middle of the ocean. She began to walk up to him, only to be halted by the strong shore, she just remembered she wasn't a good swimmer.

She noticed a big wave was heading towards the boy. He turned around to face her, and reached out his hand with a smirk on his face. Before she could question his actions, she immediately ran to him, hoping she could save him. Only to be proven wrong as the wave engulfed both of them. She was pushed back by the strong currents, being a further distance from her friend. He was still reaching out to her. She used all her strength to reach him but failed as the currents pushed her away.

She got back up from the water and noticed it was sunset. She saw her other friend waving at her by the shore. She was a girl with long raven black hair that went down her shoulders with a blue flower hair clip. She waved back and ran up to her.

As she made it to her friend's presence she noticed that she was talking to her, but couldn't make out what she was saying. Nonetheless, she was just happy to see her.

The raven haired girl giggled until she saw something suspicious in the sky. Yume looked up to see what it was. It seems to be someone falling from the sky. She squinted her eyes to get a good glimpse at the person. The person...was her?!

In shock, Yume fell back to the ground as it turned into the sky. She reached out to her friend, only to watch her disappear by ripple water drops. She continued to fall yet again and fell back to sleep, she soon awoken as she got closer to the ground. She landed on an unseen platform in the middle of nowhere, it was nothing but pitch black darkness. She took a step forward and a bunch of doves appeared out of nowhere from the floor that revealed to be a purple platform that had a princess in the center. She had beautiful golden blond hair that was very long. She wore a long purple dress with thin sleeves that went up to her forearms.

Along with a man with brown hair and a beard, a green chameleon, and a white horse.

Yume watched the doves fly away, until they disappeared. Now, it was just her standing alone on top of the glass stain floor of the long haired princess.

"_So much to do, so little time..."_ a mysterious voice said.

She looked around to see who was the owner of the mysterious voice, but there was no one around. Was she just hearing things? Was it just her imagination?

"_Take your time."_ they said. "_Don't be afraid."_

There it goes again. What did this voice want from her? Was this the voice that brought her here? But why though?

_"The door is still door shut."_

Door? What door? From the looks of this empty place, there appears to be no door around.

_"First you must take a step forward." The voice_ told her. _"Can you do it?" _

**(Move the left stick to move. Tilt it lightly to walk, and all the way to run.)**

Yume did what the voice told and moved forward. She walked up to the center of the platform. Suddenly, three pedestals rose from the ground. The first one had a sword, the second one had a magic staff, and the third one had a shield with a mouse symbol on it.

_"Power sleeps within you." _

_"If you give it form…"_

_"It will give you strength." _

Power? What power could she possibly possess? She was just an ordinary girl. It's not like she was some super powered hero, or something like that.

_"Choose well." _

**(Press the O button to jump) **

Yumé looked at each weapon carefully. She placed a hand on her chin and took some thought into it. This was a difficult choice. Then again, the sword did look promising. It reminded her of those great warriors who fought in ancient times, like the ones from the books her dad would read to her. So, why not?

She got up on the pedestal with the sword and picked it up. It looks so cool. She couldn't believe she was actually holding a real sword. She saw her reflection on the blade staring back at her.

_"The power of the warrior."_

_"Invisible courage."_

_"A sword of terrible destruction."_

_"Is this the power you seek?" _

Yume nodded. The sword disappeared from her hands in a spark of light.

_"Your path is set." _

_"Now what will you give up in exchange?" _

Yume got off from the pedestal and looked at the other two that had the staff and shield. Great, another tough choice. She should've known it wasn't going to be that easy. But now that she thought about it, magic wasn't much of her thing. In fact, combat without magic can actually be a good challenge. She went up to the pedestal with the staff and picked it up.

_"The power of the mystic." _

_"Inner strength."_

_"A staff of wonder and ruins." _

_"You give up this power?"_

Yume nodded to the voice. The staff disappeared from her hands in a spark of light just like the sword did.

_"You've chosen the power of the warrior."_

_"You've given up the power of the mystic." _

_"Is this the form you chose?"_

This was Yume's final decision. There was no turning back after this. She had to think carefully. So far, everything was exactly how she wanted it. She wouldn't have it any other way. She gave her final nod. Yume felt the pedestal rumble below her. She lost her balance as it sunk to the ground along with the other pedestals. She jumped off from it before she could get sunk too.

The glass floor shook as it shattered into pieces. Yume stood in the center of the platform, hoping she wouldn't fall to her doom. Unfortunately, the entire floor dissolved until there was nothing self, she automatically fell off once the ground below her feet was completely shattered.

She slowly fell to another platform, but this time it was a dark-skin princess with a green dress holding a frog. She wore a tiara and had her hair tied to a bun. Yume's feet gently landed on the green platform.

_"You've gained the power to fight." _ The anonymous voice said.

A spark of light appeared in Yume's hand, and out came was the sword she picked earlier. She gave it a good swing before she took a grasp with both hands on the handle.

**(Press the X button to attack)**

Yume slash her sword in the air, as if she was fighting with an invisible enemy. This felt good to her, being able to use a real weapon for the first time. The only sword she ever used was the wooden sword she'd play sword fight with her friends, but that wasn't a real sword, it was more like a toy if anything.

_"All right! You've got it." _The voice praised Yume.

_"Use this power to protect yourself and others." _

Yume sense a negative aura that made her feel ill all of a sudden. She put her hand on her head as it began to hurt. Where was this feeling coming from? Before she could even think, a group of black creatures with yellow eyes came sprouting from the ground.

_"There will be times you have to fight." _

Yume took a step back in fear of the black creatures. Their claws were razor sharp, giving the impression of wanting to rip off human flesh. What were these things?

_"Keep your light burning strong."_

She didn't understand what the voice was saying. But she didn't have time to think. Right now she needed to focus on the mysterious creatures. One of them came at her with its claw out ready to slice her like butter. She quickly dodge it and slash her sword across the torso as it fades away in a black mist.

The second one made a sneak attack and slash her leg, gushing out blood. She winced in agony as she took a step back from her attacker. It was hard for her to even stand with an injured leg. The yellow eyed creatures came all at once, ready to clobber her. She tried to attack them but the pain on her leg overtook her and made her fall on her butt.

She let out her arm in a 'stop' position while looking away, even though it wouldn't do any good. Only to feel a warmth glow sprout from her hand. It blasted the entire area and obliterated all the creatures that were about to eliminate her.

She looked at her hand while raising a brow. Did she just do that? Where did that blast of light come from? Did it come from her? So many questions were swirling in her head like a bunch of flies.

_"You possess a strong power," _the mysterious voice informed.

_"A power that can vanquish the creatures of darkness." _

Creatures of darkness? Did it mean those things that tried to kill her?

_"Behind you!" _The voice yelled.

Yume turned around to see what was behind her. It was one of those yellowed eyed creatures! Without a second thought, Yume quickly swung her blade at it before it could even attack her. She wasn't gonna take another wound from those little pests. The rest of them sunk into the ground, creating a pool of darkness that spread across the glass floor.

Yume felt a sense of panic in her chest as the entire floor was covered in pure black. Her feet began to sink, she tried to break free as she made an attempt to pull her legs out, but the gash on her leg stung so bad it made it impossible to get herself loose. Her body completely got sucked into the abyss.

It was pitch-black, there was nothing at all. She squirm around in fear of the darkness. She couldn't see a thing, it was scary. Then she felt herself laying on a floor that appeared out of nowhere. She got up to see this new floor, this time it was pink and decorative with hearts.

Yume noticed a strange door that appeared in the middle. She was able to see through it like a ghost. It was obviously transparent. She crossed her arms, thinking how she could possibly open it. She looked to see if there was anything she could use to open the door. Then she saw a red treasure chest on the floor. She went up to it and gave it a few taps with her sword. Much to her surprise it opened, inside it was a blue bottle.

_"This is a potion," _the voice explained. _"It will heal all your wounds. Give it a try."_

At first, Yume was hesitant to drink the potion. What if it tastes bad? Will it give her side effects? She wasn't sure whether to trust the voice or not, but from the looks of it, she didn't really have a choice. She took the bottle and chugged it down, luckily it wasn't so bad.

Yume felt the gash on her leg fade away from existence. She looked down to see that it was gone, as if it was never there. She checked the door again and saw that it went from transparent to solid. She went up and grabbed the handles, only for it to open automatically.

She quickly took a step back as the door opened wide, letting out a bright light. She shields her eyes as they were too delicate for the brightness, then the light engulfed her completely.

She found herself back on her island with her friends. A boy with white hair and green eyes, who wore an orange short sleeved zipper jacket, and green scarf wrapped around his neck. He had black gloves, gray pants, and beige shoes.

A girl with pink drills, pierced silver hoop earrings, and a pink halter top that went up to her torso to reveal her stomach. She wore an orange skirt and a fur pelt wrap around her waist. She had three beaded necklaces and numerous bracelets. And a pair of beige boots.

And a tall young man with shoulder-length brown hair. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt, and blue trousers with a brown belt and a blue cloth on his waist. He had a leather bracer on his left arm, and wrapped cord on his right arm.

"_Hold on." _The voice said.

"_The door won't open just yet." _

"_First tell me more about yourself." _

Yume raised a brow at the voice's last statement. Now this anonymous person wanted to know more about her? Weird. But at least she was back at the island with her friends. Hope, Vanillle, and Noel. Even though, it was strange that that door led her back to her homeland all of sudden.

She first went up to Hope and talked to him.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked.

"**Being different." **

Then, she went up to Vanille and talked to her.

"What's most important to you?" she asked.

"**Friendship." **

Lastly, she went up to Noel and talked to him.

"What do you want out of life?" he asked.

"**To see rare sites."**

"_You want friendship."_

"_You're afraid of being different."_

"_You want to see rare sites."_

"_The day you will open the door both far off and very near." _

Next thing Yume knew, she was back in the dream, only this time the glass floor had two princesses. One with pale blonde hair in a side braid on her left shoulder, she wore a long dress blue with see-through sleeves.

The other had brown hair in twin braids and wore a winter dress with a magenta bonnet and mittens. Both princesses were holding hands while sleeping. They looked like close sisters.

Besides them was a snowman, a reindeer with huge antlers, and a man with blond hair and snow hat.

A new road appeared next to the current platform that led to another. Yume followed the path to the next floor. This one was a different type of princess. She looked like an islander like her. Her hair was thick and wavy, and she wore a red crop top with a red hip skirt that was made of tapa. She had a necklace with a green stone on it. Unlike the other princesses she was barefooted. She was holding an ore with an adventurous posture.

Aside her, was a large man with long wavy hair like hers, a pig with black spots, and a large eyed chicken.

"_The stronger your light becomes, The closer the darkness will be."_

Yume felt a strong sensation from behind that made her feel uneasy yet again. She turned around to see a giant glomp of dark purple and black rising from the glass stain floor. It was turning into a giant monster with snake-like hair that covered most of its face. It's eyes were glowing yellow, and bat-like sprouted from it's back. It was horrifying to look at.

The horrific creature gave Yume a shiver in her spine. She wanted to run away from it. She was scared.

"_But don't be afraid."_

As much as she wanted to believe the voice. Her fears were too much to bare. She couldn't take it anymore, she ran as fast as she could from the monster, only to be halted by the edge of the glass platform as she almost fell.

"_And don't forget…" _

Looks like there was no turning back. Yume needed to fight against this thing. The sword appeared in her hands again, telling her that it was time to defend herself. She took a good grip on the sword as if her life depended on it. It was now or never.

The monster took the first attack and tried to punch her with its gigantic fist. Yume quickly dodge it as she rolled across her left. This led to the monster's fist being stuck on to the floor as a black and purple mist swirled around it's wrists, and created a mini pool of darkness.

She noticed a couple of the little creatures that attacked her earlier were coming from the dark pool. This wasn't good. One thing's for sure, she needed to focus on the giant one. The little ones weren't that big of a deal.

Yume decided to get it's hands to stop it from creating more minions. She swung her sword at it's knuckles, only to be knocked back by excessive force. It's hands were as hard as a bolder. There has to be some sort of weak spot. It's hands were far too strong to take a slash from the sword, especially when it's twenty times smaller compared to size, and it's whole body was just as strong. Not even a stab to the torso would work.

Maybe just maybe, the face could be it's sensitive spot. It was wide open, she just needed to get it right in the eyes, since most of its face was covered in it's hair.

She tightened her grip on her sword and charged at the giant monster, she made a high jump to the face and did a swift attack across the eyes. It covered its eyes in agony. With a wound like that, it's possible she made it go blind.

The monster glared at Yume and was ready to punch her. She tried to raise her sword in defense but it disappeared out of her reach. Now she was no longer in possession of a weapon, she was defenseless. She felt the urge to panic, and quickly dodge the fatal blow. Or did she?

The yellow-eyed giant created another large pool of darkness that spread across the glass floor. Yume tried to run away, but somehow she was too exhausted to continue fighting. Her legs grew heavy and her head began to hurt again. The negative sensation got the best of her. She fell back on her butt and let the giant dark monster do whatever to her. What was the point? She couldn't fight back or escape, it was hopeless.

"_But don't be afraid."_

She felt her body being consumed by the darkness, every inch was covered in swirls of black. It made her body jolt in pain. There was no air. She couldn't breath

"_You hold the mightiest weapon of all."_

No, not like this! She can't go out like this!

There has to be a way out from it's clutches. Yume made an attempt to flee, but it was too late.

"_So don't forget,"_

Her efforts were meaningless, as her body was too weak to even move. The darkness consumes her entire body as she loses her breath. She completely passed out from the impact. This was it. The darkness got her.

"_You are the one who will open the door."_

* * *

**A/N: **This an rewrite of an old fanfic I've written a long time ago, but it was awful since It was my first fic and I wasn't that experience into writing like I am now. Plus, I didn't really know where to go with the story at the time. But now that I've plan out the story, I know exactly where to take it. I had this story in my head for a long time and now I finally get to share it! Hooray!

In chase your wondering Yume is Japanese for 'dream'. I thought it was fitting for Sora and Kairi's daughter considering their names means 'sky' and 'ocean with them combine they looks like a dream-like state especially with that scene in Re:Mind where Sora went to save Kairi the place they were in had a sky and an ocean. I see what you did there Square!

Anyways hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Destiny Awaits

**A/N:** Well here it is! The first chapter! I really appreciate the feedback you guys gave me. Keep in mind that this fic isn't going to be OC-centric, I've plan to give the canon characters some major roles too. The only one who isn't going to be in this story is Sora, cause we gotta make Yume the main character right?

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Destiny Awaits**

Yume awoken by the seashore on the beach where she slept. She felt the sun beaming down her face, it was so hot. The young girl put her hand over her face to block the sun's rays. That place she was in, that voice calling her. Was it all a dream?

But it felt too real.

Yume used her strong arms to push herself out from the warm sand. In front of her was the blue ocean waving by her feet. It was calm and soothing. It made her feel relaxed after that traumatizing event. She let out a soft yawn before laying back on the sandy ground. To her surprise, a spiky haired boy appeared in her view out of nowhere.

"Woah!" Yume said as her body jolted back up from the shock.

She turned around, and sat on her knees to face her best friend Takeo.

He wore a light-green shirt with a dark-green star in the center. Over it was a brown colored vest, with pockets on both sides. He had brown knee-length pants with belt pockets, and red sneakers with black on the bottom. His hair was light brown and spiky while being swift aside.

Takeo laughed at his friend's reaction. Her face was priceless.

"Give me a break Takeo." Yume glared at her spiky haired friend.

Takeo put his hands on his pockets with a smirk still on his face.

"Yume you lazy bum," he teased. "I knew I'd found you slacking off."

"What?" the blond girl raised a brow. "No, this huge black thing swallowed me! I couldn't breath and-"

Yume was cut off as Takeo playfully chopped her on the head. As if he'd believe that crazy story. "Ow!" the blond girl moans in pain as she rubs her sore spot.

"Did you have another bad dream?" he asked as he bent over so they were face to face.

"It wasn't a dream!" Yume debated. "Was it? I don't know…"

It was hard to believe if it was real or not. But she was too tired to even think.

"What was that place?" she asked herself out loud. "So weird…"

"Sure whatever," Takeo scoffed as he walked to the seashore. "Try to lay off on the sea salt ice cream."

"Say Takeo," Yume asked. "You ever wonder what other worlds are like?"

That has been something he's had in mind for a while. Ever since they were little, they yearn to know what was outside their island. They'd known there were other worlds out there beside their's. But they've never had a chance to see for themselves.

"Well," Takeo spoke. "I've been thinking about it."

"Have you ever thought about checking it out?" the blond girl asked curious.

"To tell you the truth, I like it here." the boy responded while staring at the ocean waves.

"You sure?" Yume raised a brow.

"But you know what?" Takeo said in second thought. "I wouldn't mind seeing what's out there."

"Me too!" Yume agreed. "And all those other worlds! I wanna see them all!"

"Hey!" a voice yelled.

Yume and Takeo turn to the owner of the voice. It belonged to a boy their age with silver shoulder-length hair and teal eyes. He wore an orange short-sleeve shirt with a black collar, with a zipper on the center. There was a black 'X' symbol on his chest. He had a pair of dark blue pants with black spencers, and black sneakers. He was holding a huge log over his shoulder. He was stronger than he looked.

His name was Kasturo.

Next to him was a girl with long raven hair that went down her shoulders and had blue eyes. She wore a pretty hair clip with a blue flower hair clip on the left side of her bangs, a black choker on her neck, a shoulderless mid-sleeved baby blue shirt with frills on the cuffs, over it was a blue spaghetti strap top, and a navy blue skirt with a black belt that possess decorative stars and a zipper. She had on a pair of blue socks that went a bit over the knees and a pair of black slip ons. She wore a yellow bangle on her left wrist, and a pair of golden star earrings.

Her name was Nene.

There was another boy besides her. He had black spikey hair and brown eyes. He wore a pair of blue glasses, a maroon sleeveless shirt with navy blue outlines and a zipper, long black pants, and a pair of the blue sneakers. He had black wristbands on each of his wrists, and blue band on his right shoulder.

His name was Ray.

There was a little girl standing next to him. She appeared to be younger than the rest of the gang. She had silver short hair like Katsuro, but with feminime curls on the sides, unlike him she had purple eyes instead of teal. She wore an orange top with mid-sleeves similar to Nene's that had frills as well, it possesses a cross on the center on her torso, a flower pattern yellow skirt, and a pair brown sandal with mango decors on the strap. She had an orange headband on her head. And a red bangle on her right wrist.

She was Katsuro's little sister Aina.

"Well looks like you two love birds have been slacking off this whole time." Katsuro said in a teasing manner.

Yume and Takeo blushed at his comment.

"Hey!" Yume scold. "That's not true!"

"Yeah," Takeo agreed. "Yume's the one that dozed off in the middle of work." He pointed at the blond girl who narrowed her eyes at him. That was just like him making her the scapegoat.

"It's ok," Nene said in a sweet tone. "We still have a lot of things to do before the raft is ready."

"Yeah," Aina chirped. "Plus, we need to pack food and other essentials for our journey."

"She's right," Ray stepped in. "We can't go off without something to sustain us. It's gonna be a long trip."

"No need to worry," Nene held up her hand in a 'rest assured' position. "My mom made a pack of rice balls for us. They should last us at least a week."

"Good," Takeo nodded. "But we're gonna need more than that. Like Ray said, we'll be traveling for a while."

"That's not a problem," Yume chip in. "I can bring some of my mom's curry. She's gonna make some for dinner tomorrow."

"Mmmm," Nene said as she licked her lips. "You're mom makes the best curry in the whole island Yume!"

"So true," Aina agreed as she did the same.

"Food aside," Katsuro said as he threw the log towards Takeo who barely caught it. "We need to focus on the raft first. I already asked Hope and Noel to bring some more logs."

"And I got Vanielle to get rope to tie up the raft." Nene added.

"Katsuro and I will get a cloth for the sail," Aina pitched in.

"I'll gather some stones and put them in a bag," Ray said. "That way we can use it as an anchor to set sail."

"Well," Yume said as she put her hands behind her head. "I think we got everything settled!"

"Alright everyone," Takeo said as he held the log over his shoulder. "Let's get to work."

"I'll race ya," Nene said as she ran ahead of her friends who were off guard. "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

"Hey," Yume yelled at the raven haired girl. "No fair Nene! You got a head start!"

The six friends ran off together as they raced across the island, they all smiled and laughed along the way. They couldn't wait to travel to the outside worlds. Who knows what was out there for them.

* * *

The Land of Departure has been in good shape since it's return. Not only was it back to normal, it was better than its original form. The building was much larger and it had more rooms, at least four. The fourth one was a guest room.

Aside from that, nothing has changed. Everything else was still the same, the sky was still site full as it was filled with numerous stars. The earth surrounded the land, along with the training ground near the entrance. The castle was still floating like always.

Sleeping on the training ground was a young boy who appeared to be a preteen, twelve to be exact. He had spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a short sleeved black and white jacket over a black collared vest, a piece of platinum armor on his left shoulder, a pair of gray jumpers, a gray wristband on his left wrist, and a pair of gray shoes with silver armor.

He was snoozing under the stars, where it was peaceful and quiet. Before he came here, he was in his room playing his action figures when he noticed a shooting star from the night sky. It gave him the impression that it was a meteor shower, so he stormed off from his room and quietly went outside without waking his family.

He knew that if his mother found out that he was out past his bedtime, he'd be in major trouble. She was a kind woman, but she can be firm when angry.

His eyes fluttered as his vision cleared up, all he could see was the midnight blue sky above him. It was good the lights were on, otherwise it would've been really dark. And that would've been scary.

But at least the stars were pretty to look at, they were the lights that lit up the night sky. He couldn't stop looking at them.

There's been this question he had in his mind for a while.

He wondered what stars were like.

The young tween let out a yawn before laying back on the ground, only to be given an unexpected view of a girl's face.

"Woah!" he sprung up the minute he saw her.

His reaction made the girl giggled. Of course it was none other than his older sister. She appeared to be at least fifth-teen due to her nice curved figure, and developed breasts.

"Give me a break Marina," he said with a pout.

His sister was as beautiful as his mother. She had her blue wavy hair that was long as it went down her shoulders. She had spiky swift bangs she got from their dad, her eyes were blue of course, and her skin tone was similar to their mother.

She wore a sleeveless navy blue dress that went down to below her hips and had a silver cross on the chest, and a navy blue shawl that went around her neck, and two cropped sleeves that up to her upper arms. There was a piece of sapphire armor on her left shoulder, and a pair of long dark blue boots with silver armor on the shoes.

"Viento," she said. "You hopeless sleepy head. What would mom and dad say if they saw you out here this late?"

"You're not gonna tell them are you?" the young said in fear.

Instead of being mad at her brother, Marina just gave him a pat on the head. "Of course not," she said. "But next time at least bring a blanket."

Viento signed in relief. His sister wasn't the type of person that would snitch, but he still couldn't help but feel paranoid of her. She can be just as strict as their mother when you get on her bad side. Who knows what she would do.

Viento got up to the ledge of the training ground to get a better glimpse of the shining stars. Marina did the same as she sat right next to him.

"Say Marina," Viento began.

"Hmmm," Marina turned to her brother.

"You ever wonder what stars are like?" the young boy asked.

"Well," Marina looked to the night sky. "They say that-"

"That each star out there is another world," a voice said from behind.

The two siblings turn to see who was behind them.

It was a guy who appeared to be older than even Marina, at least sixteen.

He had short brown hair that went down to his shoulders, a pair of orange eyes. He wore a short sleeved black shirt with a yellow cross on his chest, a pair of maroon red sirwal trousers, a piece of golden armor on his left shoulder, black wristbands on both wrist, and a pair of silver armored back shoes.

"Madera!" Marina said.

"Yep," Madera nodded. "It's hard to believe there so many worlds out there besides our own."

"How many do you think they are?" Viento asked curious.

"Millions," Madera replied as he walked up to them. "Billions to be precise."

"Wow!" the young boy said astonish.

"Each one of them is up there," Madera stated as he sat next to Viento. "And they're shining down on us like a billion lanterns."

"Huh," Viento raised a brow. "I don't get it."

"In other words they're just like you Viento," the young man said to the blond.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand someday when you're older,"

"I wanna know now,"

"You're too young to know now,"

"I'm not as young as I look!"

Marina tried to fight the urge to laugh but it was no use. These two were just too hilarious.

"What's so funny?" Madera asked.

"The way you guys babble," Marina replied with a giggle. "You two would make the weirdest brothers."

The boys were dumbfounded by the blue-haired girl's comment, but laughed along anyway.

The three friends continued to watch the stars together, wondering what was up there. They grew curious as to what kind of worlds lay out for them. It was a big mystery for them. They hope that soon they'll have the opportunity to see for themselves.

Marina's head jolted up as an important memory popped in her mind.

"Oh," she said as she got up. "Madera, you and I have our mark of mastery exam tomorrow!"

"Oh yeah," Madera remembered. "Your mother is gonna test us to see if we're master material."

Viento was so psyched to see his sister and his best friend take the mark of mastery exam. It was gonna be the day they become masters. He has been watching them train real hard these past few weeks, he could tell they were very determined to become true masters.

"I can't wait," the young boy said excitedly. "I just know you guys are gonna ace this exam with no sweat!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Marina pulled out three stars-shaped charms from her dress pocket. One was orange, one was green, and one was blue. "I made us good luck charms!"

She passed the orange one to Madera and the green one to Viento.

"Cool," Viento said in awe. "I get one too?"

"Of course," Marina showed off her blue charm. "One for each of us."

"Looks nice," Madera praised.

"They say there's this star shaped fruit," Marina explained. "And it binds a strong connection between two or more people."

Viento looked at his lucky charm in disappointment.

"You mean this isn't a real charm?" he asked disheartened.

"Well not entirely," the blue haired teen placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "But I did implement a little magic on them."

Madera let out a slight chuckle at the girl.

"Sometimes you can be such a girl,"

Marina raised a brow as she put her hands on her hips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked displeased.

"They're very pretty sis," Viento complimented as he didn't want his sister to feel offended.

"Thanks," Marina said with appreciation.

The trio held each of their charms out in a circle.

"As long as we have our charms, we'll be together no matter what." the blue haired girl stated.

"Of course," Madera nodded. "We'll always be together regardless."

"Yeah," Viento agreed. "Always!"

The three friends decided to call it a night and went back inside the castle.

"Together. Always." Marina said as she took a final glimpse at the night sky before catching up to the boys.

* * *

It wasn't easy being the ruler of Disney Castle, but for King Mickey he wouldn't have it any other way. Ever since he returned home to his beloved Queen Minnie, things have been peaceful thus far. Donald and Daisy were finally married, Goofy and Clarabelle have been recently dating, and his son Max has been training hard on his knighthood, hoping that one day he too can help out the citizens of other worlds like his dad.

The mouse king was occupied with a bunch of paperwork that needed to be done in the library. He scribbled through every inch of paper with his feather inked pen, it was a lot of work and he wasn't even close to finishing. He wiped the sweat that was tickling down his forehead with the back of his white glove. Things can't get any harder than it already was.

A crack started to form from the door as it was slightly opening.

"Who is it?" the King asked.

The mysterious figure turned out to be his dog Pluto who appeared to have a letter in his mouth.

"Oh, heya Pluto," Mickey greeted. "Whatcha got there?"

He took the letter from his pet's mouth and noticed a blue seal on it.

"It's from Master Yen Sid?"

The King opened the letter and began to read it from top to bottom. He gasped as he placed his hand on his mouth.

"Oh dear!" he muttered.

* * *

**A/N: **Believe it or not I'm one of the few that ships Ven and Aqua. I know some of you may be thinking that Aqua is too old to date Ven, but personally I don't think so. I always believed that Aqua was a young woman in her late teens, at least 18. I'm not too found of the TerraxAqua ship because people only ship them due to the age gap and that's it. But in canon there's never been any hints that they like each other, and because of that I've never understood the point of the ship when they have no chemistry at all! Besides age is just a number!

See ya later!


	3. A Dark Ambition

**A/N: **I've gotten some reviews asking about the differences between this and the old version of the story. I've already stated that this is a redone version, meaning that they will be a lot of changes compared to the original version. I appreciate those who liked the old version, but I want you to understand that I'm making changes for the better with this story.

Anyways enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**A Dark Ambition**

A black cloak figure was sitting in a long chair by a round table with a crystal ball in front. The figure appeared to be female as it had a nice round hourglass figure and high heeled boots. Her face was partially covered from the hood where only the lower half was visible.

She appeared to have blue mid-length hair that drope down on her right shoulder, her lips were smooth and shaped like a cupid bow. She was incredibly beautiful so far from what was revealed.

Her hands were roaming all over her crystal ball as she was picking up something. She heard a knock at the door behind her.

"Come in," she said.

Another black cloak figure appeared from the door behind the curvaceous woman, only this time it was a male. His face was hidden under the hood, making it impossible to identify him.

"Ma'lady," he said in a low sincere voice. "We've managed to locate the last Princess of Hearts."

"Is that so?" The woman said not convinced.

"Yes," the man nodded. "It appears that the world of her whereabouts is Destiny Island."

"_Destiny Islands..." _the woman thought.

She heard of that world before. It was a world that was surrounded by water and was split into two. One was a town and the other was a small island. Apparently this was the princess's homeland. Interesting.

"Very well then," she said as she got up with her crystal ball still in her hand. "Now that we have her location on target, it's time to move on to our next objective."

"But ma'lady," the man said with concern in his voice. "I must remind you that the act of capturing the princess is extremely dangerous with witnesses on site. Showing ourselves out in the open is a dead giveaway."

"Of course," she nodded. "There's no rush."

The hooded woman placed her ball on the table. "It's important we keep our distance, otherwise suspicion would be upon us and we definitely wouldn't want that."

The man knew that his superior's ambition was dear to her, but at the same time he couldn't afford to let their organization be exposed. Especially not to those meddling guardians of lights. They may have succeeded in defeating Xehanort The Seeker Darkness two decades ago, but this time they won't intervene. Besides, they were apart from each other at this time.

At this rate, they should be able to accomplish their goal with no trouble. And even if someone dares to interfere, their hearts will be ripped away from their bodies for good.

"Indeed m'lady," the man placed his hand in his heart. "It is my sworn duty to grant you the perfect world you desire. I know you deserve this world more than anything, and I will deliver it to you no matter what."

He wasn't wrong. It was true that she's been meaning to create a whole new world, where only darkness remains, and light doesn't exist. A utopia befitting a dark queen such as herself, and that world will soon be hers.

"I appreciate your dedication," the woman said with a smile. "It makes me grateful to have you as my passionate assistance."

She took a few steps further until her face was a few inches apart from the man's, she slipped her finger through his hood and touched his chin. Her lips just a couple inches away from his. He wasn't fazed by her seduction one bit, as he grew used to it.

"With your help I just know we'll have our own little world of darkness,"

"Our?" the man raised a brow.

"Why not?" She removed her finger and took a few steps back. "It wouldn't be fair for me to have a world all to myself after everything you've done for me. I wouldn't have made this far without you, and the others of course."

"Yes m'lady," the man nodded. "I shall accompany you in your new world if that's what you wish."

The blue-haired woman smiled and went back to her chair as she continued to search through her crystal ball.

"M'lady,"

"Yes?'

"If it's not a problem to ask. Do you have any strategy to lure in the princess?"

A smirk appeared on the woman's face as she finally detected what her ball was picking up.

"Of course," she said. "It's right here."

"What do you mean?"

"Gather the other immediately," she commanded. "We shall have a meeting before nightfall."

"Yes m'lady," the man bowed. "Right away."

The loyal servant left the room leaving his master alone.

"Such worthy children," the woman said as she stared at the two individuals in her crystal ball. "Your hearts shall be perfect vessels to darkness."

* * *

A great old wizard was sitting in his den, where the nearby windows revealed the eternal night sky that was decorated by the stars that twinkled. He had a large-covered book that seemed to be in possession of poetry. Something that he had admired for decades now, at this point in time he has owned over dozens of volumes.

He flipped through a page as he waited for his old apprentice. It has been years since he last saw him. After the guardians of light went their separate ways, he hasn't been in contact with the king since.

But recently he had sent his formal apprentice a letter informing him of something urgent that needed to be discussed about. He hated to ruin the peace everyone was enjoying, but unfortunately it couldn't last long.

Just as he was about to flip through the next page he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened revealing a short mouse with large round ears. He was wearing the same checkered outfit he wore during the battle between the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness and the Seven Guardians of Light. He still had that old hoodie with two circle sleeves to fit his ears. One of his most significant features was of course his large yellow shoes.

"Master Yen Sid," the mouse king bowed to his former master. "I came as soon as I received your letter."

Yen Sid welcomed Mickey with a small grin before closing his book.

"I'm glad you could make it Mickey," he said as he placed both his hands on his lap. "It has been years since our last encounter."

"Indeed it has been," Mickey agreed. "I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you for the past years master."

The old man shook his head. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry," he said while brushing his long beard. "I did not intend to disrupt your moments of peace, but unfortunately there is something critical we must take in discussion."

Mickey felt his little heart jump when he heard those last words his former master had spoken. Based on the letter he read, he knew this wasn't good news.

"So what was this new enemy of darkness you mention in the letter?" Mickey asked. "It can't be Xehanort's doing is it?"

"Rest assured," the old wizard put his hand in 'halt' position. "Xehanort has done nothing since Sora has put him in his place. You shouldn't worry about him."

Mickey put his hand on his chest as he signed in relief.

"But that doesn't mean this new enemy is any less of a threat as Xehanort was." Yen Sid warned.

The king's ears twitched in alert. "What do you mean?!"

The retired master closed his eyes for a moment as he was about to reveal an old legend that hasn't been touched on in centuries. This enemy they were about to face was extremely perilous, she wasn't just an enemy of darkness she was known as the 'Mistress of Darkness'.

"Does the name Nerissa sound familiar to you?" he asked blatantly.

The king jumped as if the name itself was poisonous to the ears. "Nerissa?!"

The old wizard nodded.

"You mean the legendary Mistress of Darkness Nerissa?" Mickey asked even though he knew the answer.

"Unfortunately yes,"

"But that's impossible," the king said in denial. "Wasn't she put to execution years ago?!"

"That's what everyone thought at first," Yen Sid explained. "But it turned out that the one that was executed was a fake. The real Nerissa is still alive."

This wasn't what the king was expecting to hear at all. Especially not about the old legendary Mistress of Darkness. The woman that plunged several worlds in darkness, the one who killed innocent civilians with her dark powers. She was a pure monster.

"I can't believe it," Mickey lowered his head in disbelief. "After everything we've been through, we still have another dark wielder upon us."

"Mickey," Yen Sid calmly spoke to assure his formal apprentice. "This situation can only be halted by a strong heart Keyblade wielder."

"But Sora is nowhere near our reach, and the other guardians are scattered around the worlds. We have no idea where they are now."

"That is why we are going to have to receive a new group of guardians," the old wizard announced. "Besides, we're talking about Nerissa. A woman who's capable of devastating destruction, not even Sora is fit for this task."

As much as Mickey hated to admit it, Yen Sid was right. There was no way that Sora could stand up against Nerissa the Mistress of Darkness. A pure dark maiden such as her could easily wipe him out with the darkness she possesses.

"But without Sora, who's gonna help us put a stop to her?"

"No need to worry," Yen Sid smiled. "The stars have already informed me that we will receive the help of someone who is a Keyblade wielder and a Princess of Hearts."

"Kairi?" Mickey asked.

"No, it's not her."

Mickey raised a brow. There was no other Princess of Heart that was in possession of a Keyblade other than Kairi. Or is it possible that one of the other Princesses of Hearts have been chosen to wield one as well?

"Then who could it possibly be?"

Yen Sid paused for a minute before he could announce this new Keyblade wielder.

"Her name is…"

* * *

Donald was strolling through the castle hallways as he made his way to the king's throne. He was wearing his usual wizard attire, with his blue robe and sorcerer hat. He stopped in front of a door that was large enough to fit a giant. He cleared his throat before giving a few knocks on it, revealing another door only this time it was small enough for Donald's size.

The magician duck proceeded to the throne of the mouse king.

"Good morning your majesty," he bowed. "I know you've been busy with your paper w-"

He noticed that the king was not in his throne like he usually was.

"What?!" he yelled.

Pluto walked up next to the king's thrown with a letter in his mouth that had a mouse seal on it. Donald's eyes turned into big saucers when he saw the letter. He took it from the dog's mouth and removed it from the slobbered envelope. He scanned it from top to bottom and blinked a couple times. The shocking news caused the magician duck to run across the hallways in panic.

A dog in shiny armor was napping in the castle garden, he had his hands behind his head and his legs were crossed while snoring. The panicked duck scurry through the garden and came next to the sleeping dog.

"Wake up Goofy! Wake up!" Donald quacked. "We have an emergency!"

Despite his loud quacking, Goofy continued to snooze without a care in the worlds. In rage, Donald cast a lightning spell and zapped the lazy knight out of his slumber.

"Ow!" Goofy yelled in pain. He held his head in agony until he saw Donald standing beside him. "Good morning Donald!"

"We have another situation Goofy," Donald looked around to make sure no one was there to hear them. "But we can't tell anyone this time."

"Queen Minnie?"

"Especially not the Queen!"

"Daisy?"

"No!" Donald shook his head. "It's top secret!"

"Good Morning Ladies!" Goofy waved at the two unknown figures behind Donald.

"Huh?" the wizard duck raised a brow.

He turned around to see the Queen and his wife Daisy scolding him with their hands on their hips. Wow, they were good.

* * *

**A/N: **I have to say, this feel like my most biggest accomplishment yet and It's only the third chapter! I know it's been a while since my last update but I haven't been motivated enough to write since I've been stuck at home all day thank to the corona virus! I hope you guys liked it so far, and be sure to stay safe!


	4. The Determined Dream

**A/N: **I appreciate the feedback you guys been giving me. It makes me happy to know that you enjoy my story! You'll be happy to know that there are a lot of things I have in store for you guys!

Now on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**The Determined Dream**

"I'm not sure if I'm doing it right," Yume said as she struggled to get the shells in the string. How hard could it be to make shell bracelets?

"Here," Vanille politely took the unfinished bracelet from Yume's hands. "Let me help you."

It was the day of preparation for Yume and her friends' journey to the other worlds. The raft was almost taking shape, it just needed a few more turn ups, as well as a few essentials.

All they needed was to pack up some food and drinks to sustain themselves while they travel. Though it wasn't considered an essential, Yume and Nene thought it would be nice to make some jewelry out of thalassa shells. They got Vanille to pitch in since she was an expert in making jewelry.

There was an old legend that sailors once wore them and prayed that they would come home safe no matter what happens.

Yume remembered her mother tell her about how she used to make a good luck charm out of the same shells when she was her age and gave it to her father. He'd keep it with him everywhere he went during his journeys, because it reminded him of the promise that he made to her mother. That he would come back to her.

It amazed Yume to learn how much her mother meant to her father. She'd hope to find a guy like that one day.

"Thanks for helping us out Vanielle," Nene said while putting together the shells in her bracelet. "We really appreciate it!"

"Anytime," Vanille said with a smile. "What are friends for?"

Vanille was always the cheerful type of person. Her accent sounded a bit foreign but she claimed that she was born and raised on this island just like everyone else.

She finished tying the last part of the bracelet before giving it back to Yume. "There ya go!"

"Thanks," Yume took the bracelet from the coral haired girl.

Something about the bracelet just made it seem so different than most of the jewelry she's seen in her life. Even though the shells weren't fortunes like diamonds and gold, there was something about them that just made them feel so special. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yume?" Nene asked with concern.

The blond girl snapped out of her trance as she noticed her friends were staring at her as if she completely lost it.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, which caused her two friends to giggle. "I guess I got lost in thought."

Nene got up and bushed the sand off her knees as she put her hands on her hips. "Well I think it's about time we take five and have a lunch break," The raven hair girl said as she pulled out a small basket. "I brought some rice balls~" she sang.

Yume couldn't help but drool over the delicious rice balls. She quickly wiped the drool off her mouth with her sleeve before anyone could take notice.

The three girls sat under the paopu tree while eating their own rice balls and drinking mango juice.

Yume took a huge bite of her rice ball and savored it's delicious taste. Of course it wasn't as great as her mother's but it still had its own tasty flavor.

"Ya know Yume," Vanille spoke before sipping her juice. "You eat so much, yet you never gain weight."

"Oh?" Yume raised a brow with her mouth filled with rice.

"She's right," Nene agreed. "Remember the time you came over to my house and ate five of my mom's rice balls?"

Yume's face turned pink from the embarrassing memory. She was known as the girl with a huge appetite on the island. But she couldn't help herself, especially when it came to rice balls. They were her favorite snacks.

"What can I say," Yume shrugged. "Rice balls just happen to be my ultimate weakness!"

Nene nudged Yume's arm while laughing at her last statement. Vanille did the same thing as she almost choked on her rice ball.

The three girls stared at the sunny sky while enjoying the last bit of their rice balls. Yume continues to glaze at the great beyond wondering what lies ahead for her and her friends. Not only that, but her dad was somewhere out there, it's been months since she last saw him.

Oh how she longed to see him again. She missed seeing his face, and his warm smile. He would tell her stories of his adventures to other worlds.

Like the time he went to find her mother and Uncle Riku when they got separated from each other, and defeated Ansem who was responsible for spreading darkness to all the worlds. Or the time he and Uncle Riku defeated a man named Xemnas who was responsible for killing innocent people and taking their hearts for their own.

But her favorite was the one where he defeated a man named Xehanort, the man that started the whole catastrophe. He was known as the Seeker of Darkness, the one who nearly caused chaos to all the worlds.

He wanted a legendary weapon, but to obtain it he needed a clash between light and darkness in order to forge it. Luckily her dad managed to put an end to his cruel ambition and brought peace back into the worlds.

She didn't really understand it entirely, but it was an amazing story. Especially to know that her dad was once a hero.

"Yume are you ok?" Nene tapped on Yume's shoulder in concern. "You zoned out again."

The blond girl lowered her head as she looked down at the half-eaten rice ball. "I just can't stop thinking about my dad."

"Oh yeah," Nene's eyes lit up. "You haven't seen your dad since he went on his business trip months ago."

Yume nodded before she took a sip of her juice in sadness. This reminded her of the time when her and her dad used to have mango smoothies while watching funny movies together. Oh how she missed those days.

"Don't worry Yume," Vanille chirped as she tapped Yume's shoulder. "You'll see him again!"

"Yeah I know," Yume said looking up at the sky again. "He's out there somewhere, he's probably missing me too."

"Of course he is," Nene wrapped her arm around her best friend. "Why wouldn't he miss you? You're his daughter."

Nene was right. Her dad was probably feeling the same way about her too. Wherever he was, he must long to see her again just as much as she does for him.

After the girls finished their snack break, they went to go check to see how the others were doing. They stopped to see Aina was sitting by a mango tree making mango juice, despite her young age she was quite mature. She knew how to cook, sew, and make juice.

Aina was such a sweet girl, but at the same time she can be a bit shy. Since she was the youngest in the group she always felt insecure of herself.

Yume bent over to Aina with her hands on her knees.

"Hey Aina," she greeted. "How's the drinks coming along?"

"Pretty good," the slivered hair girl said with a smile. "I've already made four bottles of juice, I just got two more to go and we'll have enough drinks for the trip."

"Perfect," Nene clapped her hands. "How are the boys doing so far?"

"Ray is almost done with the sail," Aina continued to squeeze the last bit of juice from the mango on her fifth bottle. "But Takeo and Katsuro decided to take a break and spar for a bit."

Yume and Nene's heads jolt up. Those two were supposed to be finishing the raft and now their slacking off?

"Where are they?" Yume asked with her arms folded.

"Over by the paopu tree,"

The two girls marched over to the other side of the island as they parted with Vanille. They exited from the shack which led to the land with the paupo tree. Before them were the two slackers playing sword fight like two buffoons.

"Ready to give up Takeo?" Katsuro provoked with his wooden sword clashed against Takeo's.

"I should be asking you that," Takeo replied as he used his torso strength to push back Katsuro.

The boys were in a neck and neck situation, they were equally matched to where there was no way of telling what the outcome would be. Things were already getting intense, the girls were intrigued by the fight that they decided to not interrupt and let the fight continue.

Takeo took the next move and used more force against Katsuro to where he made him lose his balance and fell on his butt. The impact hurt so much that he rubbed the sore spot on his bottom.

"Looks like I won again," Takeo said with a grin as he put his wooden sword over his right shoulder.

Just as his guard was down, Katsuro quickly got up and aimed for Takeo's torso only to be outsmarted again as his best friend quickly got out the way, leaving the poor silver-haired boy to fall flat on his face.

"Ow…" Katsuro moaned.

The girls tried to hold in their laugh but to no avail, they ended up bursting into laughter, getting the boys to notice them.

"Enjoyed the show?" Takeo asked with his smile.

Katsuro's head perked as he recognized the giggle coming from the two girls. When his head turned to face them he immediately spazz out and got up from the floor.

"Oh...H-Hey g-girls," the silvered haired boy said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "When did you get here?"

"Since we found out from your sister that you guys were slacking off in the middle of work," Yume said with her hands on her hips. "It's ironic how Aina gets things done while you guys continue to slack off like 5-years-olds."

"Hey!" Katsuro stomped his foot. "For your information, juice making is nothing compared to building up a whole raft."

"Yeah," Takeo added. "And besides, the raft's almost done anyway."

"Which is why you guys should've finished it before sparring in the first place." Yume said as she put her hands on her hips with a smug on her face.

"Oh come on, cut us some slack," Katsuro complained. "Can't us bros spar for at least a few minutes before going back to hard labor?"

Yume looked at the wooden sword in Katsuro's hand. Her head lit up as an idea came to her mind, she swooped in and took the sword from his grasp.

"Hey!" the silvered haired boy glared at her.

"Mind letting a sis join in then?" Yume said with a grin.

She's always played sword fights with the boys since they were little, especially with Takeo. The two of them would compete to see who was the strongest one in the island. Though Takeo would often win since he was the best sword fighter in the island, he even beat Hope, Vanielle, and Noel in a three-against-one fight.

He was crazy strong, but that didn't stop Yume from fighting him. Regardless of the many times she lost she still got back on her feet, never backing down.

"Are you sure," Takeo said, raising a brow. "I wouldn't want to beat a delicate flower for the hundredth time."

"For your information," Yume narrowed her eyes. "Delicate flowers don't get back up after they've crippled now do they?"

"Alright," Takeo got into position. "You're on!"

Yume got a good grip of the wooden sword with her back arched to her right. "Nene starts the duel!"

"Oh boy," Nene muttered as she shook her head. She raised her hand as the judge.

"Ready…"

Yume and Takeo clutch their swords tightly.

"Steady,"

They narrowed their eyes at each other.

"Fight!" Nene's arm slammed the air.

Yume took the first turn and clashed her sword with Takeo's. She could feel her best friend's heavy strength against hers just by the clinging itself. But she wasn't going to let that get to her.

They both jumped apart from each other, leaving out a chunk of space between the two. Takeo dashed towards Yume ready to slash her, until she thought quickly and dodge his attack in one leap to the left.

Takeo could tell that she could read his attacks after all those previous fights they've had. Which means he would have to think of a way to get her by surprise. But how?

With Takeo lost in thought, this gave Yume the perfect opportunity to attack. She charged at him with her wooden sword swung from behind her head and fake slash across his torso causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

"Yay!" Yume shouted as she raised her hands up in the air. "I finally won!"

The young spikey blond was victorious! Or so she thought. She felt a foot kick her right leg, making her fall and land on her butt.

Takeo quickly got back up as he chuckled. "Did you really think I'd lose that easily?"

Yume's teeth gritted and she glared up at him. "That's cheating!"

"No it's not," Takeo debated. "You only thought I lost, when in actuality I was preparing for another attack."

"_That slick jerk!" _Yume thought.

He'd known that the only way to get at her was to let her guard down. Too bad it wasn't gonna work again.

Yume got back up and prepared for another attack. Takeo could tell that she wasn't moving an inch, giving him a sign that it was his turn to go. Without a second thought he charged and aimed to stab her in the torso, Yume quickly blocked the attack with her sword using it as a shield to protect her from the blow.

The two of them clashed once again, only this time they were neck-in-neck.

Nene put her hands on her mouth with awe while Katsuro arm's were pumped as he was excited by what the outcome would be like.

The hard force made it difficult for Yume to handle, Takeo was always the athlete one in the group. But Yume refused to let his strength overpower her even if it was hard. His push was so hard it cause her right foot to be held back as it pushed hard against the ground, she could feel the back of her shoe scraping the hard ground.

He was too strong. If only she practiced harder she wouldn't be in this situation. Her arms were growing heavier and her legs couldn't carry her anymore.

"Giving up already?" Takeo mocked. "Come on Yume. I thought you were stronger than that!"

Yume's blood boiled by the teasing and immediately fought back as she pushed with excessive force, leading Takeo to stumble back a bit.

Now he got her. He knew that would trigger her to fight back. It wouldn't be a fair fight if he'd easily won, even though he'd be proud to be victorious, he still didn't like winning for the hundredth time cause it would be boring.

All he wanted was a worthy opponent and he knew Yume had potential. He never told anyone this but he grew tired of being known as the strongest one in the island and just wanted to find someone that would match up to him.

Yume clutched her sword even tighter and charged once again at him, determined to beat him for the very first time. She's been longing to finally surpass him and this was her chance.

Just as she thought her moment of victory was here. She felt her sword being smack out of her hand as it flew off past the paopu tree and landed into the ocean.

Everything she ever hoped for just vanished before her eyes. Her dream of surpassing Takeo was long gone.

Nene walked in between them and held her hand towards Takeo.

"The winner is once again Takeo." she said with disappointment in her voice. Obviously she was looking forward to seeing Yume win.

"Aww man!" Yume complained while hitting the ground with her fist. "I was so close and yet so far again!"

She continued pounding on the ground until a hand appeared in front of her face offering to help her up. The blond girl looked up to see that that hand belonged to Takeo.

Normally she would decline his offer since she knew it was an act of pity from him, but since she was already in a downer mood she decided to give it an exception this time.

Takeo took Yume's hand and lifted her off the ground, then placed his hand on her shoulder.

"This is just the beginning Yume," Takeo reassures. "You have a lot of potential, I can see it."

Yume's head perked up at Takeo and looked into his bright blue eyes.

"And trust me, I too hope you'll beat me one day."

That last part caused Yume to raise a brow. Did he just say he'd hoped for her to beat him? Was he hit in the head with a coconut or something?

"Come on Katsuro," Takeo said to his best friend. "Let's go finish the raft."

The boys left the paopu tree area leaving the girls alone. Nene walked up to Yume and put her hand on her back. "Yume are you ok?"

Yume was lost by Takeo's words that she completely didn't notice Nene speaking to her.

"_Why would he want me to beat him?" _she thought. "_Doesn't he know that if I beat him it would damage his reputation?"_

"Yume?" Nene shook her best friend's shoulder.

Yume finally went back to reality.

"Oh sorry," she said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Guess I was lost in thought again."

"Oh Yume," Nene shook her head. "What are gonna do with you?"

Yume giggled at Nene's comment. She couldn't blame her for asking that.

"Wanna go grab some sea salt ice cream to cheer you up?" Nene offered.

"No it's ok," Yume declined politely. "I need some time alone for now."

The blond girl put her hands in her pockets as she walked away. Nene stood in silence watching her friend grow distant from her.

"Yume…" Nene said in pity.

* * *

Yume walked into a hidden cave that was filled with drawings all over the walls, even places that were supposedly hard to reach.

This was the place that her parents used to visit when they were younger. They used to scribble on the walls together. She came across the old picture of her mom and dad giving paopu to each other, which she learned that it was a special fruit that builds an unbreakable connection between two people if they shared one.

She wasn't so sure if it was true or not, but it did sound romantic to share it with someone dear to you. She placed her hand on the drawing below it. It was the drawing of her and Takeo they drew when they were four, she remembers it as if it was yesterday.

The day her parents introduce her to the secret place where only they were allowed come in, with the acceptation of her uncle Riku. They told her that she can only invite one person to their secret place, and it had to be someone she could trust.

Eventually she invited Takeo over and ever since then the two of them started drawing their own pictures in the cave.

They did portraits of each other the same way her parents did. Since her and Takeo were so close to each other, they decided to make drawings of themselves.

The picture of herself that Takeo drew was cute, he captured her smile very well. As for her picture of Takeo, she wished she did better, his portrait looked a bit too silly to her especially with the way she drew his spikes. But Takeo thought it looked cool.

Still, the picture meant everything to her. Those precious memories she shared with Takeo had a place in her heart. Just the thought of him made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which gave her an idea.

She grabs a piece of rock and add the finishing touch to it, a picture of her giving a paopu fruit to her Takeo. The boy she played with, laughed with, and ate ice cream with. She just had to enhance their childhood artwork.

Yume took the moment to admire the loving drawing before her. Until she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

"Who's there?!" she asked startled.

"Such a dull world isn't it?" a mysterious figure said.

Yume turned to see who was this anonymous person that spoke was. They're voice sound female, and they possess a feminine curves and a large chest. Yep, this person was definitely a woman. She appeared to be wearing a black cloak with a hood that covered most of her face.

"Who are you?" she asked the mysterious woman.

"It's just way too small," the woman dodged Yume's question. "For someone who seeks answers of what's beyond her homeland."

"Huh?" Yume raised a brow.

"If you had to choose a way for you to leave this tiny old place, would you choose the path of light or the path of darkness?"

"What are you talking about?" Yume asked confused. "I don't get what you're saying!"

This woman was giving the creeps. What was with her? She's asking bizarre questions she doesn't understand.

The woman gave out a little chuckle. "How pathetic," she scoffed. "You wish to seek answers on what's ahead of your tiny world, yet you understand so little."

"Enough with this crap!" Yume lost her patience. "Stop being freaky whoever you are!"

This charade was getting on Yume's nerves. This woman just pops up out of nowhere and starts asking her strange questions? Who was this woman? Where did she come from? That last question stroked her like lightning. Yeah, that's a good question. This woman didn't look like a civilian from her island.

"Hold on," she paused. "You're not from here are you?"

"My, my," the woman smirked. "You're not as ignorant as you look."

Yume narrowed her eyes at the woman for her insult.

"I'm someone from another place much far from here." the mysterious answered.

"Does that mean you're from another world?"

"Precisely,"

No way! This woman is actually from another world?! For all her life she's never met a foreign before. This was incredible.

"But how'd you get here?"

"Some things are best left unknown," The woman smirked. As if she'd tell this simpleton child anything. "Besides, there's no way a little girl such as yourself can ever be worthy of the knowledge to seek the outside worlds."

"Oh yeah?" Yume clenched her fists. "Guess again, cause I'm gonna get out of this place and learn what those other worlds have to offer, you'll see lady!"

The woman chuckled underneath her breath. This child was determined indeed. She had a heart full of strong light, not a spec of darkness, she was no ordinary girl. She was the key to the world that has yet to exist.

"How amusing," she said to the young teen. "You seek to learn about the outside yet you still understand nothing."

Yume felt the urge of wanting to punch this woman for mocking her. Who does she think she is?

"For instance, you have yet to learn about what's beyond that door."

Yume turned her head to face the door that was on her right. She never knew where that door led to. It seemed mysterious, but she never bothered with it since it had no knob.

She then looked back to the anonymous woman, only to find out she was gone.

Weird. There were so many questions swarming in her head about that creepy lady. She shrugged it off and decided to head back to finish the preparations.

* * *

**A/N: **How's being under quarantine? It sucks doesn't it? I tried to my best to get myself motivated enough to continue writing since I've haven't been able to go out and to get inspiration. But luckily I have come up with some new interesting ideas for this story. And to top it all off, the next chapter is already in the works! It will focus on Madera and Marina's Mark of Mastery! Bet your excited to read that.


	5. Strength of Darkness

**A/N: **I'm sorry if it's taking a while for the main story to start, but I really wanted to show the lives of the new cast and how the old cast are doing so far before anything else happens. But don't worry, things are gonna start happen right after the next chapter so please be patient.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Strength of Darkness**

It was the day of the Mark of Mastery ceremony. An exam where Keyblade wielders are tested to see if they're worthy of the Mark of Mastery. In other words, the title of a true Keyblade Master.

The ceremony was being held in the training ground right by the throne of the three Keyblade Masters, Terra, Aqua, and Ven.

Aqua was in charge of the exam for Madera and Marina. Viento had to just sit back and watch since he was too young to be a Keyblade Master.

Despite being in her late 30s Aqua looked incredibly youth and beautiful. She didn't look a day older than 26.

She still had her pretty blue hair only this time it's length grew a bit below her shoulder. Her front bangs were still swift to the side, and wore a pair of sapphire earrings.

Her attire was a navy blue collar bodysuit similar to one she wore in her late teens, only this time her left leg was slash short where it went up to her thigh, while the right leg went all the way down to her foot like a bodysuit leg, and a square armor plate on her left shoulder.

She had silver armored gauntlets with fingerless gloves, and silver armored boots that went up to the knees that had sharp points at the toes just like her old boots.

The man on the left throne was Terra, Madera's mentor. He appeared to be in his early 40s. He had brown spiky hair that grew down to his waist and had grown a beard. He now had wrinkles under his eyes to show he's coming of age.

He wore a long loose sleeves jacket similar to his late master Eraques, only it was dark gray instead of white over a black sleeveless tank top with a turtleneck, with a red X on his chest, and a bronze armor plate on his left shoulder.

He wore the same type of beige trousers he wore in his young adult years, only this time they were more loose. He had sliver armor boots that went up to his ankles.

The man on the right throne was Ventus, who was Vineto and Marina's father. He appeared to be in his mid 30s as he had a much thicker neck and longer spiky blond hair that went a bit over his shoulders. He was more muscular to where he no longer had the appearance of a boy, but a grown man. He was even taller than Aqua.

He wore the same type of black and beige short-sleeved jacket with a red collar. He had the same beige pants only these ones end down to the ankles instead of being cropped up to the calves, sage green wrist bands on his wrists, and folded short boots that match the color of his wrists.

Madera and Marina stood up straight as the exam as their master Aqua was about to give them instructions.

"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery," Aqua announced. "Not one, but two of the keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates. But, this is neither a competition nor a battle of supremacy. Not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail or neither. I know you two have been training hard these past few weeks. And I trust that now you are prepared to prove your worth of the Mark."

"Yes ma'am," Madera nodded.

"Yes mo-I-I mean ma'am," Marina did the same.

Aqua summoned the Master Keyblade. "Then let the examination begin." She used the energy from her Keyblade to create an hallucination spell. With it, she summoned an allusion of heartless, creatures who are born from pure darkness.

They were usually small and feeble, but these heartless were stronger as they appeared more bigger and muscular. Their eyes were golden yellow, and they had zig-zag antennas like insects. They were known as the Shadows.

Madera and Marina summoned their Keyblades in combat stance.

Madera's Keyblade was known as EarthBreaker, it was large and bulky, the shaft had a bronze color while the handle was more of a dark silver, it's teeth were bold and shaped into square chucks.

Marina's Keyblade was called the Waterfall, the shaft was light blue and resembled that of ocean waves, while the handle was in the shape of a diamond, and rain drops for the teeth.

Suddenly, the heartless started to go haywire as if they were corrupted by some dark power. Their eyes changed from yellow to red, and their claws became sharper. There was a dark mist of black and purple swirling around them. As if they were put into some kind of trance.

Everyone was shocked by the sudden change in the heartless. Who could've caused this?

"What?!" Aqua questioned.

"This isn't part of the exam!" Terra stated.

One of them attempted to attack Viento, this led him to summon his Keyblade, Hurricane's Wave.

The shaft was a dull brown and looked like a thick sail pole, it's handle was designed to be wielded backwards, while the dull gold teeth represented angel wings. The handle was attached by a decorative whirlwind key chain.

"Viento!" Madera and Marina yelled in fear.

The preteen sliced the heartless into a gust of shadows.

"Don't worry about me," Viento reassured. "You two just focus on your exam!"

"But Viento, it's too dangerous here!" Marina said in concern for her brother while her and Madera were back-to-back surrounded by the Shadows. "Go to your room and wait there!"

"No way," Viento refused. "I've been waiting all year for this, seeing you two become masters, I'm not gonna miss out on it now."

Aqua was amazed by Viento's determination, he was just like his father Ventus when he was younger. Stubborn, outgoing, and yet sophisticated. Yep, definitely like Ven.

"The kid can take care of himself," Madera said. "He's been training just as hard as us."

"He's right Marina," her Uncle Terra agreed. "Don't underestimate your brother's skills, he has great potential. Trust me, I know." With that he looked through the corner of his left eye to his good old friend sitting across him.

Even though they were right, Marina still couldn't help but be concerned about her little brother, every time he was in a dangerous situation she felt the urge of wanting to protect him. But he's grown a lot and is still at the stage of maturing, so it's best to let him handle this himself.

"Alright then," Marina nodded and got back in her fight position. "Stay sharp little brother!"

"Right!" Viento nodded back.

The three friends were now separated in individual fights.

More shadows came to tackle Viento but not before he swiped a couple with Hurricane Wave, turning them into mist of darkness, however it wasn't enough as he still had more to deal with. He wasn't as strong as Madera and he wasn't the best at magic like Marina.

But if there was one thing he was good at, it was his speed, he was the fastest out of the trio, not to mention he was great at doing dodge rolls when he needed to avoid an enemy's attacks.

Madera thought quickly and swift aside a couple of shadows that were gaining on him, he used one of his best techniques yet. "Earth Breaker!" he yelled, as he jumped up high and landed back down on the ground with massive force that caused the ground to rumble like an earthquake, which led to the heartless being stunned, with the advantage Madera quickly sliced them in one blow.

When it comes to strength, Madera has it without a doubt.

Marina on the other hand was a skilled magician like her mother, she managed to master the arts of magic at the tender age of 12. Since then she's been trying to come up with spells of her own, she's been experimenting on new types of magic for the longest.

She managed to come up with a spell she created on her own, which is known as a shotlock. "Rainfall!" she shouted, as she summoned her own storm of rain towards the heartless, the heavy raindrops caused severe damage that was enough for them to vanish into gusts of black and purple swirls.

Looks like all those years of training have paid off for her.

Viento managed to defeat each shadow with ease to the point where it didn't feel like a challenge no more. "Too easy," he said with a cocky grin. His overconfidence got the best of him as a heartless creep up on him from behind him and slash his back with its claws.

"Viento!" Aqua cried for her son.

The young boy was on his knees weakened by the attack. He felt the warm blood running down on his back, and the stinging sensation of the scratches.

"Heal!" Marina shouted.

A pair of flowers and leaves swarm above Viento with a heavenly green aura shining on him. He felt the wounds from his back disappear along with the blood.

"Thanks sis!" Viento gave his sister a thumbs up.

"Don't get careless little brother!" Marina advised her brother while pointing her Keyblade at him.

"I know," Viento said, rubbing the back of his head.

Now that Viento was healed he was ready to take on the next shadows, he figured now was the time to use his own technique, it wasn't as strong Madera's or Marina's techniques but he's been working on it for a while, so why not use it now?

He waited until a bunch of more shadows came at his direction, then he raised his Keyblade up in the air. "Aeros Gale!" he shouted as a giant whirlwind appeared engulfing the shadows that got caught. The gust of wind caused severe damage for the dark monster, however Viento was already reaching his limits since he still wasn't used to it's impact. He could feel sweat streaming from his forehead from the intensity.

He reached his limits and fell on his knees with exhaustion, luckily his whirlwind managed to get a few of the shadows, leaving the others to Madera and Marina.

Marina was able to handle her shadow by using her ice magic. "Blizarra!" she yelled as she shot an ice ray at the heartless creature, causing it to freeze in place as it was trapped in an ice coffin. Then she finishes it off with a quick slash, as it vanishes along with the ice.

The last one seems a bit difficult even for Madera to defeat. It was a lot stronger than the others they defeated. It somehow grew larger and it's claws became even sharper than before.

It was gonna take more than just one Keyblade wielder to this monster down. Before Madera could think of a plane, the huge shadow raised it's claw, ready to attack Madera with it.

"Madera!" Marina stormed in front of him as she used Reflect to prevent the monster from attacking Madera.

"Isn't helping each other out against the rules?" Madera asked.

"No, not really," Marina replied. "As long as we're demonstrating our own strength, it's acceptable."

"Yeah," Viento joined in. "Besides, there's no way one person can take down a huge beast without any associates."

"It's okay Viento," Marina assured. "Me and Madera have this under control. This is way too dangerous for you to handle."

"By myself maybe," Viento said. "But if we work together we can beat this thing in one go."

Madera thought of that for a minute. If they'd combine their strength, then maybe there's a chance of defeating the huge shadow.

"I think he's right," Madera agreed.

"Huh?" Marina turned to the brunette and raised a brow.

"All we have to do is combine our techniques into one and then we can perform an even stronger attack that can obliterate the heartless."

"You think it could work?" Marina asked.

Madera shrugged. "It's worth a shot,"

Marina shook her head. "Oh boy…"

"Yeah!" Viento said. "Let's blast this sucker in one blow!"

The three friends pointed their Keyblades together towards the giant red-eyed shadow as three energy beams charged from each of their weapons.

Terra took notice of the three apprentices' next move. "They're combing their powers!" He turned to Aqua. "Is that allowed?"

"The rules state that a Keyblade wielder must show the strength of the heart," the blue-haired woman explained. "As long as they do that, they're fine."

Ventus was on the edge of his seat, he was anxious to see what the kids had in store to take down the giant heartless. He hasn't been this excited since he watched Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery.

"You two are ready?" Madera asked.

"Ready!" Marina and Viento said in union.

They gathered all their energy together until it was enough to fill up a huge ball of energy. Each of them felt sweat tickling from their foreheads, they were giving it their all. Since Viento was the youngest he was already reaching his limits as his body wasn't used to giving out all this power.

"Now!" Madera shouted.

"Earthbreaker!"

"Rainfall!"

"Aeros Gale!"

The trio shot out their own individual abilities at once as they merged into one massive energy beam, making it large enough to hit the giant shadow.

"Go!" The trio yelled in union as they sent their beam over to the shadow that was about to get them with it's bare claw.

The strong impact of their powers forge as one was enough to obliterate the shadow. It vanquished into a mist of thinning darkness.

The three young apprentices were exhausted from using so much energy. Viento had it the worst since he was the weakest as he fell down to his knees and out of breath.

Terra, Aqua, and Ven were impressed by their pupils' actions. That technique they'd perform was impressive, they never saw anything like it. Even they have never used a move like that back in their training years.

Now that the first part of the exam was done, Madera and Marina return to face the three masters, awaiting for Master Aqua to give them the next examination.

"I apologize for the inconsistent behavior of the heartless," Master Aqua said as she came up to the two pupils. "I have no idea how that happened, but it's always good to keep a still heart, even in the most unexpected of times. You did well, which leads us to the next trial."

Madera and Marina nodded knowing what's to come next. They both form a distance from each other with their Keyblades in hand while facing the other in the eyes.

"Madera and Marina, this is the part where you two will face each other in combat." the blue haired master explained. "Remember, they are no winners. Only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin!"

Madera and Marina charged at each other, their Keyblades clashed rapidly to where they were both neck-in-neck until they broke apart. The two were both equality matched to where it was hard to predict the outcome.

It was difficult for Madera to even land a single hit on Marina since she dodged every attack with ease. She learned how to avoid attacks from her mother, since she was the most flexible out of her friends it was easier for her to be on the defense.

Madera got more aggressive and took the offense approach, Marina outsmarted him as she took the upper hand which nearly struck him, causing him to back away before it could touch him.

The brunette had a fiery determination in his eyes, he felt the urge for power as he released an aura of darkness through his arm. Realizing what he was doing, he immediately removed it in time to defend himself against Marina's upcoming attack.

Sometime later, the exam was over, Master Aqua called out the result. "We have reached a decision. Madera, Marina, you both performed commendably. However, only Marina has shown the Mark of Mastery."

Madera's felt his heart drop from those words, as if he was punched in the stomach.

"I'm sorry to say this Madera, but you failed to keep the darkness within you adequately in check. But there is always next time. That's all for now. Marina, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions."

Aqua along with her friend Terra and husband Ven left the room, leaving the three young pupils alone.

"Madera…?" Marina put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort her friend.

"Are you ok?" Viento asked as he rushed up to him, he wished he could do something to help.

Madera looked into the palm of his hand as if it was tainted. "The darkness…why was I unable to control it?" he questioned out loud.

He knew that the darkness came from his heart, it was his lust for power that drove him to take extreme measures. But he didn't know why it was beyond his control. It just came out of nowhere.

"Sorry," he gently shook Marina's hand off. "But I need some alone time."

Madera left the training room leaving Marina and Viento by themselves. They wanted to cheer him up, but they knew now wasn't the time.

* * *

_Later... _

The brunette teen sat by the stairs of the entrance of the castle, thinking of what just happened. He failed the Mark of Mastery due to not being able to keep the darkness in his heart under control.

"_I know I have darkness within my heart," _the teen thought. "_I failed because I let it get out of hand. But I know I have the strength to keep it within. I just can't be obsessed with power. If only I was strong enough…"_

Not only did he fail the exam, but he also failed to prove himself worthy to his Master Terra, the man who raised him and treated him like he was his own son.

He wanted to show him that he had what it takes to be a true Keyblade Master. From the moment he was chosen by the Keyblade, he knew he had trained hard to earn his position as master, that was his number one goal.

"Having trouble with the darkness child?" a voice said.

Madera snapped out of his sulk and looked up to see a hooded woman in a black cloak standing right in front of him.

"Who are you?" he asked as he got up, being prepared for whatever she had up her sleeve.

The woman put her hand in a halt position, informing him that she meant no harm. "No need to be alarmed, I'm just here to help out a young one in need. You seem to be having difficulty with your darkness."

"You can tell?" asked Madera dumbfounded.

"Of course," the woman gave a smile. "I know when someone is having trouble with the darkness within their hearts. You could say I can see through them in a way."

Usually, Madera would summon his Keyblade at someone suspicious, but this woman seems to understand his situation. Maybe she knows something about the darkness in his heart. If that's the case, then it's possible that she could help him.

"Does that mean you know how to maintain darkness within the heart?"

"Correct," she nodded. The mysterious woman placed her hand on her own heart. "You see, the heart is made partially of darkness, and that darkness is made of determination and power. It demonstrates the lust to protect our loved ones."

Madera raised a brow. "But I was told that darkness comes from hate and rage," he said confused. "How can those emotions help us protect those we love?"

"Hate and rage don't have to be seen as negative emotions," the woman explained. "You see, every human being goes through anger once in their lives. That anger can be used as a defense mechanism, something that embraces how much we care for those we hold dear to us. And when that anger becomes rage, it gives us the strength to fight for them."

Madera took a moment to think through what the woman just said. He never thought about hate and rage that way. All his life, he thought that darkness could drive people to do harsh things. He didn't wanna go through that, but at the same time he wanted to protect his friends, and he'd do whatever it took to protect them.

"_The strength to fight for them." _he repeated what the woman said in his mind. That's what he needed, to obtain more strength. With it, he'll be able to have better control of his darkness.

"Then what do I have to do?" Madera asked the mysterious hooded woman. "Tell me, how can I maintain my own darkness?"

The woman turned her back towards the troubled teen. "It's simple, the only way darkness can be conquered is if you learn to accept it. It can't be destroyed, it can only be manipulated. Eliminating it would be like eliminating a part of yourself. Show it who's in command and you will be capable of doing incredible things with it."

"Would that really work?"

"Definitely," said the woman hiding her smirk from the boy. She turned around and walked towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I've done it before, and now I have full control it. If I can accomplish it, then so can you dear child."

With those final words of advice, the woman entered a portal made out of swirls of black and purple and disappeared into the shadows. Leaving Madera alone once again.

He didn't know what to think as he was in a convoluted situation. Should he trust this woman? Or should he let the darkness control him? It wasn't an easy decision to make, but at this rate he had no choice but to follow her words.

* * *

**A/N: **Nerissa what are you planing?! *sign* Guess we'll have to wait and find out.

I hope you've enjoy this epic chapter. As you can tell, I'm trying have this story take reference of past events from the original series, while at the same time having it be it's own thing. Besides, BBS took reference out of KH1 too. So it makes sense for this story to do the same.

Let me know what you guys think. I would love to hear your thoughts!


	6. Desire

**A/N: **Now that the main plot is starting to take place, I'm gonna be taking a bit more time to write the next chapters. Don't worry thought, most of the stuff is plan out but with being stuck at home with no sunlight and fresh air, it's going to be a bit difficult to have the motivation to write. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop writing entirety, it's just gonna take some time to progress the story. Trust me there's no way I'd end a story just because of the lack of motivation. Just think of it as being in a little hiatus.

Now, enough of me talking and let's get on with the story!

**Edit: **In case you haven't notice, I accidentally misplaced the numbers for each chapter. I just recently fixed them, sorry for the confusion.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Desire**

Everything was finished, the raft was set up, and the food was packed. All that was left was to enjoy the last couple of days on the island before the gang could set off on their adventure. Yume and Nene sat on the paopu tree, while Takeo was leaning against it with his arms crossed. Katsuro, Aina, and Ray were sitting on the sandy ground watching the sunset. They were all eating sea-salt ice cream while admiring the orange shade sky.

"I can't believe it's almost time," Yume said before taking a bite out of her ice cream.

"I know right," Nene agreed. "In about two days we'll finally get to know what's out there."

"All our questions will be answered once we find out what's there." Takeo mumbled with the ice cream still on his mouth.

Aina was drawing something on the sand that Katsuro took notice of. "What cha drawing sis?"

"Us in another world," she drew a large circle that was meant to represent a world and the 6 stick figures that are meant to represent her and her friends.

"That looks cute Aina," Nene commented while munching on the sweet yet salty ice cream.

"Say Takeo?" Yume turned to the spiky haired boy. "How far do you think the raft would take us?"

Takeo closed his eyes in thought. He never took in considering how far they'll go with the raft. Especially with its size, and carrying 6 passengers. "I haven't really thought about it. But if anything, we'll think of something else."

Ray pulled out his calculator from his pocket and tapped on the numbers, while holding his ice cream on his mouth. "From my calculation, it should take us at least 3 days to get to another world."

"Awww man," Katsuro complained as he fell on his back. "I was hoping it'd be at least 2 days."

Nene giggled at Kasutro's whining which caused him to blush.

"Do you guys have any motives why you want to see other worlds?" Yume asked, still staring at the sunset.

"Well, I wanted to see other worlds to learn about their cultures." Nene said before licking her ice cream bar.

"I just wanna take my little sis to other worlds to make her happy," said Katsuro as he patted his sister's head, making her smile.

"I wanna go to other worlds to read different types of books they have in stocks," Aina said with a smile still on her face. She always had an interest in books since she was very young. It was no surprise from her friends that she would want to read books from other worlds.

"I've always been interested in the advanced technology they might have," Ray explained his motive. "Maybe there's a company that has the latest inventions that are yet to be discovered."

"You're such a nerd Ray," Katsuro said to the raven haired boy. "You know that right?"

"Hey, at least I'm not a horndog who keeps stashes of magazines with women in bikinis," Ray said chilled.

Katsuro's face turned red at Ray's statement. "I do not!" His reaction caused his friends to laugh leaving him embarrassing.

"What about you Yume," Nene asked her blond friend. "Why do you wanna go see other worlds?"

Yume laid back on the paopu branch, putting her hands behind her head, with her ice cream still in her mouth. "I just wanna meet new people and make new friends."

"But you have us," Aina said.

"I know, but it's always good to go out and make more friends. There's lots of kind people out there."

"How'd you know?" Ray asked.

Yume shrugged. "I just know,"

Nene turned to Takeo. "And you Takeo?"

Takeo closed his eyes for a bit while folding his arms, with the ice cream stick still in his mouth. "I never thought about it," he replied. "Instead, I always wondered what we're doing here on an island, when we could've been in something much better."

"It's not so bad here," Yume said while turning her head to see that sunset.

"Maybe, but out of all the other worlds. Why did we end up on this one? A tiny world that's part of something much better. If anything, it's possible we could've ended up living somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Yume replied.

"Exactly," Takeo nodded. "That's why we go and find out for ourselves, standing around here isn't gonna change anything."

A question popped into Yume's head as her eyes lit up. "Hey, Nene?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't remember anything from your homeland, right?" asked the spiky blond girl. "When we first met, you told us you were from another place."

"I was," Nene nodded. "But I was so little that I couldn't remember a thing, all I could recall was that there was a valley with dozens of beautiful flowers, and they smelled so sweet like perfume."

"Wow!" Aina commented. "I'd love to go there!"

"Me too," Yume agreed. "It sounds lovely."

Katsuro got up and stretched before facing his friends. "Well, I'd say it's time we call it a day. Me and Aina have to go home for dinner."

Everyone agreed and left the island saying their goodbyes for now. Except for Yume and Takeo who were the last ones behind.

Yume was about to go to her boat until Takeo grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait Yume,"

"What is it?" Yume asked.

"Since tomorrow is our last day before we head out, is it ok we…" Takeo paused for a bit. "We spend some time together before we leave?"

"Are you asking me on a date?" Yume teased.

"N-No! It's not a date, you idiot!" Takeo barked as he blushed. "I meant to spend time together as friends that's all!"

"I was just kidding," Yume giggled. "Ok, sure. I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

"Bye,"

The two friends waved goodbye and left the island with their boats.

* * *

Takeo stood by the waves of the main island, he wanted to enjoy his last moment here. It's not that he hated his homeland, he just got tired of his boring old life and wanted to explore some place new.

He dreamed of that ever since he was little, that one day he'd leave this island to experience the wonders of the outside worlds.

"Why did I end up in such a small world?" he thought out loud.

Just when he thought he'd be all alone, the hooded woman came out of a dark portal behind him.

* * *

"Here you go sweetie," a redhead woman who appeared to be in her mid 30s served a plate of white rice and curry on the side. "Beef Curry, your favorite!"

"Thanks mom," Yume said as she looked at the plate in front of her. "It looks delicious!"

Kairi sat across from Yume as she ate her own curry. "So, you and your friends are going on a journey?"

Yume nodded in response since her mouth was stuffed with food.

"Are you sure the raft's gonna take you far?" Kairi asked.

"Of course mom," Yume replied while still munching on her food. "It's supposed to be 10 times stronger than the one you, dad, and Uncle Riku bult."

Kairi giggled a bit. "If you say so,"

"I'm not just saying so, I know so." said Yume confidently.

It's been 20 years, a lot of things have changed since then. After Kairi finally reunited with Sora, the two of them started dating, and 3 years later he proposed to her and they got married. Then a year later they had Yume, their first and only child who they loved and cared for so much.

Things have been peaceful, until 3 months ago Sora had to go on a business trip, they haven't seen him since.

Now Kairi is much more mature as those years went by. Her waist was wider since she gave birth to Yume, but was still in good shape. Her hair grew longer as it went below the shoulders, and her bangs were swift to the side by a hairclip.

She wore a long summer dress that was white on the top, but pink on the skirt. Her sandals were purple, and had two yellow bangles on her left wrist.

Yume turned to look at the empty chair beside her. The chair where her father would normally sit, where they would make funny jokes, and he would tell his infamous stories of when he used to travel to other worlds.

Yume never got tired of hearing his stories, ever since she was little she always enjoyed listening to them. She hoped that one day she would be able to travel to the same worlds her dad once visited, and now she was her chance.

Kairi could tell from the look in Yume's face that she missed her father, she knew how close they were.

"Dad always loved your curry," Yume said with her head lowered.

"I know he would," Kairi agreed. "He loved all my cooking."

"He used to say, there's no better curry out there in the worlds like yours." Yume recalled.

Kairi chuckled at the memory as if it was yesterday. "Yeah, he even mentioned that if I opened my own restaurant, everyone from all worlds would come, just taste my food."

Both girls giggled at the comment that was once spoken from Sora. He would say the most goofy yet charming things. He was such a goofball, but he's their goofball.

"Say mom,"

"Yes sweetie?"

"What was dad like when you guys were younger?" Yume asked on the edge of her seat, longing to know the answer.

Kairi took a moment to envision the memory in her mind. "When we were your age, he used to be a typical lazy bum who would fall asleep on the beach when he was supposed to be helping us with the raft."

"That sounds like him," Yume said, trying to fight the urge to giggle.

"Yep," her mother nodded. "But he was so brave and kind. He would always put his friends before himself. No matter how bad things looked, he'd always looked at the bright side. He was charming and witty, and that's what I loved about him."

It was interesting for Yume to learn more about her father from her mother. Despite her knowing about her father's journeys, she was still unaware of his teen years. She was wanting to ask him, but figured they'd be some embarrassing memories that he wouldn't wanna talk about.

"I just wish he was here wishing me good luck on my journey," Yume said sadly before drinking a glass of mango juice.

Kairi placed her hand on top of her daughter's. "Just remember Yume, wherever you go, he's always with you."

Yume looked up into her mother's eyes, they were filled with sincerity. Giving the impression that she wasn't lying. Her words were spoken with wisdom and assurance, just like any other motherly advice. This led Yume to smile at such strong words.

After dinner was finished, Yume took her plate and washed her dishes before heading upstairs to her room.

"Yume!" Kairi yelled loud for her daughter to hear from afar. "Don't forget to turn off the lights before you go to bed!"

"Yes, mom!"

Yume took a quick shower and then changed into her pajamas before heading to her room. She jumped into her bed and looked at the ceiling.

"_Tomorrow's our last day on this island," _Yume thought to herself. "_I wondered why Takeo asked me to spend time with him."_

Takeo was Yume's first friend she ever made. It was back in preschool when Yume at first was a bit shy and had trouble making friends, that was until she fell and scraped her knee which led her to cry.

That's when Takeo came over to help out by giving her a bandage for her scraped knee, then at lunchtime he would sit next to her and share his cookies, he was so sweet. Since then, they've been close friends and did everything together.

That's right. Takeo was the one who broke through Yume's shell, if anything it's like he's half the reason Yume is the way she is today. The other half being her dad of course.

"Oh dad," Yume said to herself. "Whenever you are, I hope I eventually get to see you again. You mean a lot to me, and I really want to get the chance to share my experiences with you."

That's when an idea popped in the blond girl's head. She got up from her bed and went to her desk, she opened up a pink hard-covered diary, and began to write down her thoughts.

"_Dear dad, me and my friends finished the raft and now we only have one day until we go off to see other worlds. I'm super excited! At dinner, mom made her famous Beef Curry, you know, the dish you enjoy the most. Plus, she told me about how you used to fall asleep by the beach in the middle of work, when you were supposed to be helping with the raft. That sounds just like you. I had no idea you used to be lazy at my age. I've always wanted to learn about your past. You were always there for me when I needed you. Who knows, maybe we'll bump into each other! I hoped to see you soon, I really miss you."_

_-Yume._

Yume closed her diary and turned off the lights before heading back to bed.

"Good night, Dad." Yume said before closing her eyes, letting sleep take over her.

* * *

Queen Minnie was reading the letter her husband left behind, she scanned every sentence from top to bottom.

"_Dear Donald, I'm sorry for leaving without saying a word again. But Master Yen Sid had recently told me something urgent and I needed to be at his presence ASAP. A new enemy is causing mayhem to our peaceful worlds, and she's too dangerous for us to take on alone. There's only one person who can stop her and that's a pure light maiden. I'm sure you're familiar with Sora's daughter Yume. Well, it turns out that she's our only hope in stopping this new threat of darkness. There's no one else that can do this but her. She's the newest wielder of the Keyblade, so it shouldn't be hard to find her. You and Goofy need to go and find her, and once you do, go to Master Yen Sid, he'll give you all the information you need. But first you must go to Traverse Town and find Noctis. He'll lead you to the right path. Until then, I'm gonna try to get our old pals to help us out. Good luck!_

_P.S. Can ya tell Minnie I'm sorry for leaving her again? I'd appreciate it. _

_-King Mickey._

Everyone was shocked by the King's letter. Now they had to deal with another enemy, as if what they went through with Xehanort wasn't enough.

"This can't be," Daisy said heartbroken. "After everything we've been through, it's like the darkness just keeps coming back."

"Trust me, I'm just as upset as you," Minnie said, still looking at the letter. "But all we can do for now is have faith in the King."

"Garsh!" Goofy said, astonished. "Is he sure that Yume can help us?"

"I don't know," Donald said as he shrugged. "But if that's what he said, we have no choice but to trust him."

"I'm so sorry you boys have to go through this again," said the distressed Queen. "I know that it must've been difficult when you had to accompany Sora on his perilous journeys."

"Not at all," Goofy said hyped. "We had lots of fun with Sora, he was our best pal! Right Donald?"

"You betcha," Donald nodded. "Even though he was a bit stubborn when we first met him, he was a good kid, and we always stood by him no matter what."

"True, he was a sweet boy," Queen Minnie agreed. "But if he knew that we needed his daughter for a dangerous mission, I'm sure he wouldn't be so pleased."

Daisy put her hand on the Queen's shoulder. "Don't worry your majesty, I'm sure he'll understand."

"But who could be this enemy the King mentioned?" Goofy questioned as he scratched his head.

"It doesn't matter now," Donald quacked. "We'll find out soon enough. Right now, we have to focus on finding Yume."

"Not without me!" a voice said.

Everyone turns to see a jumping cricket dressed in formal clothes on the King's desk.

"Of course, Jimminy," Goofy said as he went up to pick up the little cricket. "We'd never forget you. You always keep the memories of our adventures in your journal."

"Yes sir," Jimminy nodded as he pulled out his journal. "And I can't wait to use it again."

Goofy placed Jimminy on top of his head just like he did the first time they met him.

"Don't worry, your majesty," Donald said as he placed his feathered hand on his chest. "We'll return with the King, and stop this enemy once and for all."

The Queen smiled with delight. "Alright, be careful and best of luck!"

"Please come back safely Donald," Daisy said before hugging her husband.

"Of course, Daisy," Donald hugged back his wife.

The mage and the knight both bowed to the Queen before heading out.

The duo, along with Jimminy, went down the spiral stairs leading towards the Gummi Ship station.

"Garsh, I wonder what Yume looks like right," Goofy wondered. "We haven't seen her since she was a baby."

"I'm pretty sure she's the same age as Sora was when we first met him." Donald said.

"I can't wait to meet the little lady," Jimminy said excited. "I wonder what she's like."

"I just hope she's not as stubborn as Sora once was," Donald narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He hasn't forgotten about the time when Sora wouldn't listen to him while they were traveling to other worlds and ended up in Deep Jungle in the process.

"Do ya think she'll recognize us?" Goofy asked his feathered friend.

"Of course not, you big palooka!" Donald yelled in aggravation.

Unknowingly to them Pluto had been following them.

Once they got to the station, Chip and Dale prepared the Gummi Ship for them.

"The ship is up and ready!" Chip said as he hit the red button that activated the volt, bringing in the Gummi Ship.

"This one's the latest upgrade, so it should be faster and more powerful than the previous one." Dale informed.

The ship had some new engines, it looked different compared to the old one they used to have. It was a bit bigger along with its wings sprouting out.

"Thanks Chip and Dale!" Goofy said to the two chipmunks.

Donald and Goofy got into the Gummi ship, there were three seats, two passengers and one driver. It looked bigger on the inside than the outside.

Donald took the driver's seat as usual. "Buckled up Goofy, it's gonna be a bumping ride!"

"Garsh!" Goofy said excitedly.

The magician duck powered up the ship started up the engine once the gateway opened. Pluto stood behind them wagging his tail, giving the impression that he was just as hyped up as them.

Just when they thought they were gonna be blasted off. The ship fell into a hole.

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Donald yelled.

"YAAHOOHOOWEE!" Goofy screamed.

The ship popped out from the bottom of the world, and took off.


	7. Door To Darkness (Part 1)

**A/N: **Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy with personal things, not to mention playing with my beloved PS4 that's soon to be outdated by the PS5. RIP PS4 :'( We'll miss u!

But enough about me, and let's get on with the story. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**The Door To Darkness**

The blue haired woman sat on her throne befitting a queen along with her comrades. Each throne was on a different height, their faces were hidden under their hoods as they all wore black cloaks.

Their leader's cloak however stood out more like a sore thumb. The cloak she changed into was more different, it was sleeveless revealing her arms, the right one had a black and purple tattoo of smokey swirls that were meant to resemble darkness, and a heart on her bicep. Her nails were painted in black nail polish. The skirt of her cloak was slashed on each side up to her thighs.

The throne next to her belonged to her loyal servant who informed her about the Princess of Heart's location.

"So she's on that small island eh?" said the man in the third rank throne. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It should've been obvious," a young cynical voice said in the fourth rank throne. "After all, she's the daughter of the Hero of the Keyblade."

"Hero of the Keyblade?" an older man on the fifth rank throne said in question as he played with his cards. "Last time I checked he was never truly chosen."

"True," the young man nodded in agreement. "But his heart was proven worthy of wielding it, so he technically earned that title."

"Geez," a girl said in annoyance as she fanned herself with a pink tessen fan while sitting on her sixth rank throne. "You guys always complain about the little things, when you should be worried about how we're gonna capture that little brat."

"Patience is virtue," the servant said from the second rank throne. "The Mistress and I have already discussed that, and we agreed to wait until the time is ripe."

"Indeed," a man playing with a disfigured puppet said in the seventh rank throne. "It would be irrational to seize the princess in such a reckless manner."

"Well if it were my decision, I'd say we'd lure her into a dark trap," a young man said in the eighth rank throne. "After all it should be easy to lure in a little girl."

"If it's so easy to you, then you should be the one to do it." a tough sounding girl said in the ninth rank throne with her arms folded.

"W-What? N-No!" number 8 replied cowardly. "That's not what I meant. Besides I'm not the right guy for that type of stuff, it was just a suggestion."

"Oh but that's just plain rude," a feminine sounding man said in the tenth rank throne. "We mustn't tarnished the child's beauty by exposing her to darkness don't you think?"

"She's a Princess of Heart," a English man on the eleventh rank throne commented. "She's immune to negative effects from the darkness."

"Oh, that's good for Ms. Goody-Goody," a hyper young girl said in the twelfth rank throne. "She might as well be indestructible!"

Number 13 didn't say a word. He just sat on his throne silent.

"What's the matter Number 13?" Number 3 asked. "Cat scratch your tongue?"

"Focus," their leader commanded. "We must take in consideration of apprehending the last Princess of Heart, if we're going to create the perfect world we desire."

"But m'lady," her servant began to ask. "Have you even came up with an idea in doing so?"

Nerissa nodded in response. "Of course, that was something I wanted to inform you all about. I've managed to get into contact with two potential victims. With their assistance, they'll be able to make the job easy for us by simply handing over the princess."

"Oooh! I like the sound of that!" said Number 10 impressed.

"But mistress," the girl with the pink fan, rose up to the edge of her seat in complaint. "Why bother with those losers when there's already thirteen of us?"

"Keep in mind, Yume is a pure light maiden. As you should know, they are empowered by light, as such we need to strip that power away from her. Therefore, once she's weak and powerless, that's when we step in."

"That sounds logical m'lady," the servant nodded in agreement. "It's makes better sense to seize the young princess at that particular moment."

"As logical as it may be, I'm more curious as to what you plan on convincing those two personal assistants of yours." Number 3 said with his hand on his chin.

"I've already got a hold of the first one," Nerissa responded with a smirk. "Now all we need is to wait for the second one to make the first move."

* * *

Yume and Takeo sat on the dock, watching the beautiful sun go down as it was near the end of their last day on the islands. These past couple of days have been enjoyable, along with the hassle of finding traveling essentials, but it was all worth it.

"It's almost time," Yume said while staring into the horizon.

"Yeah, I know," Takeo replied.

Yume turned to look at her childhood friend from the side. She still didn't know why he wanted her to come over during this time.

She didn't mind spending time with him of course, but the fact that he asked her first made her feel like he was asking her out on a date, even though he already told her that it wasn't the case.

Still, he is pretty charming even if he can be a real jerk sometimes. He was the most athletic one of the group, he'd always be out racing or fighting with the other guys. He'd always win in the end.

There's just something about him that is so interesting, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Takeo turned around to see Yume facing him, they were now face to face.

"What is it?" he asked.

Yume quickly looked away, hoping he didn't see her blushing. "N-Nothing," she muttered. "I was just wondering why you asked me to come meet you here on the dock, that's all."

"Oh, that," Takeo understood. "It's just that I wanted to talk to you about something,"

"About what?" Yume asked, curious.

"Well, our friends have changed lately. Nene, Katsuro, Ray, and Aina. They all have dreams that they want to achieve. They were never this determined before."

"So are you," Yume added. "You're no different from them Takeo, in fact out of the whole group you've changed the most."

Takeo smiled at Yume's comment, he'd expect her to say something as cheesy as that.

"Yeah, and out of the whole group you've changed the least."

"Hey!" Yume pouted.

"I meant that in a good way," Takeo chuckled as he put his arm around her. "I've always liked the old you Yume, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

For some reason Yume felt a warmth feeling in her heart when she heard that sweet comment. Takeo liked her for her, it was so sweet to hear him say that.

"Yume,"

"Yes?"

"Promise me something," Takeo said in a firm voice.

"What is it?" Yume tilted her head.

"Don't ever change." Takeo got up and continued to stare at the horizons.

"Huh?" the blondie raised a brow.

"Once we set sail, we'll learn what's out there." The young boy watched as the sun set, while his childhood friend did the same.

Afterward the two friends decided to call it a day and head back home.

"Umm, Yume?" Takeo began to ask.

"Don't tell me you wanna spend more time with me again." Yume teased.

"No you idiot!" he barked embarrassed. "I was just asking if...umm…"

"Yes?" she stood impatience with her hands on her hips.

"N-Never mind, it's nothing." Takeo shook his head. "You should get going, I know your mom will scold you if you weren't home in time for dinner."

"Umm, ok then. See ya tomorrow!" Yume waved goodbye before leaving Takeo by himself on the main shore.

Takeo reached into his pocket and pulled out a paopu fruit. He picked it while they were playing on the island earlier. He was willing to give it to Yume before they leave, but he never had the courage to do so.

There's an old legend that if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined, and they will remain a part of each other's lives no matter what.

In secret, he had deep feelings for Yume, ever since preschool he always had fallen for her.

But couldn't bring himself to show it, so instead he would act like a jerk to her to hide his true feelings.

He was planning to confess to Yume today, but it was like there was some sort of barrier preventing him from doing so.

Will he ever be able to do it? That's something he even doesn't know the answer to.

* * *

"Katsuro!" Riku yelled from downstairs. "Make sure you and Aina wash up before dinner!"

"Ok, dad!" Katsuro yelled back from upstairs.

The 36-year-old slivered haired man decided to go to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. He took notice of his beautiful wife cooking dinner by the stove.

She had a gorgeous hour-glass and silky white hair that went down to her hips. Her bangs were swift to the side, and her side hairs were nice and wavy.

Her light short-sleeve blue dress was down her knees, while she wore beige sandals with sunflowers decal on the sides. But what enthralled him the most were those beautiful purple eyes she possessed, which was something that their daughter inherited.

The way she tucked her hair behind her ear as she flipped the steak was charming to him.

He went up and embraced her from behind. "Dinner's almost done Hana?"

"Yeah, just a few more minutes and then it'll be done." his wife said before turning around to kiss him.

After giving his woman some love, Riku went to the fridge and got his beer, then sat on his couch in the living room while watching his favorite sitcom shows.

During the past two decades Riku's been living a calm and normal life along with his friends. He attended school and became a straight A student, that's where he met Hana who was one of Kairi's classmates, the two of them fell in love and started dating. Eventually they got married and had two kids, Katsuro and Aina. He's grown a lot since then, being more muscular and bigger, he wore a light green polo shirt and beige pants and sandals that matched his shirt. His hair grew a longer since then, but this time it was a little beneath the shoulders and not overly long like the time when he was conquering the darkness within him.

It was good that he was able to move on from his dark past and lived a brighter future.

Once Hana was finished cooking, everyone came to the dinning room to eat. The family was having steak and steaming vegetables with lemonade. Riku and Hana knew that their kids were planning to set out to another world on sail.

They didn't mind since it was summer vacation and they wanted their kids to experience life beyond the island. It wouldn't be right for them to be coped up here in one place.

"So have you kids finished with the raft yet?" Riku asked his children.

"Yep," Katsuro said before biting his steak.

"Yume, Takeo, and the others did most of the work while Katsuro was goofing off." Aina added before sipping on her lemonade.

"Hey!" Katusro barked. "Takeo goofed off just as much as I did."

"But at least he helped out more while you were reading-" Aina got cut by her brother's interruption.

"Wow! This steak is delicious mom!"

"Why thank you sweetie," Hana said with a sweet smile.

"Right..." Riku said while pitching a fork in his salad. "Are you kids sure that raft's gonna get you anywhere?"

"Of course," Katsuro nodded. "Ray said that it will take at least three days to get to another world."

"But even so dear, the raft may not be able to last that long." His mother said with concern.

"Sure it will mom," Katsuro said with conviction. "The raft is a hundred percent sturdy, it'll definitely take us somewhere."

Riku could tell Katsuro inherited his determination that he once had a long time ago. But there was one person that was surprisingly a more spitting image of me than his own son, and that was his friend Takeo.

He knew Takeo for a while since Katsuro first introduced Takeo to his family. The boy also had a strong connection with his niece Yume. Riku first took notice back when him and Yume were kids, they used to play together on the small island across from the main island.

He knew there was something special about that boy, even at a young age he was a reflection of Riku's younger self.

After dinner, the family washed their dishes and got ready for bed. Katsuro and Aina brushed their teeth and went to their rooms. They were gonna need all their strength for tomorrow.

Without their parents knowing, the two siblings took out their phones and began texting each other.

_"Did you finish packing?"_ Katsuro texted his sister.

_"Yes,"_ Aina texted back.

_"Are you sure? Remember, we won't be coming back anytime soon."_ Katsuro warned her.

_"I know,"_ Aina replied. _"I even pack my favorite stuffed animals so they can enjoy other worlds too."_

Katsuro shook his head. Will this girl ever grow up?

_"You're so five years old."_

_"Well at least I don't read magazines that are inappropriate for my age ;P."_ Aina roasted her brother.

_"I swear if you tell mom and dad, I'm leaving you behind!"_

* * *

Yume laid in her bed with her hands behind her head. She stared at the ceiling remembering what Takeo said to her earlier.

_"Yume, don't ever change."_ Yume recalled. She still didn't understand what he meant by that.

And what was he trying to tell her before she went home? She knew he was hiding something. But what could it be?

She looked at her window and saw a purple storm cloud over the small island. Wait, a storm cloud?!

"The raft!" Yume jolted up and immediately got off from her bed.

She sneaked out of her house without her mom noticing. Unfortunately, it would be the last time she'll be seeing her mom anytime soon.

"Yume sweetie, dinner time!" Kairi yelled from downstairs but got no response. "Yume?"

* * *

**A/N: **Due to this chapter being way too long, I had to break it into two parts. Stay tuned for that!


	8. Door To Darkness (Part 2)

**A/N:** Just to let you all know that I've been working on other stories aside from this one, which is why it's been taking me a while. Sorry, I just can't help but wanting to write more stories, I keep getting so many amazing ideas that I immediately start writing them down. Eventually I planned to publish more stories besides this one so yeah, I hope you guys will look forward to that. I'm also planning to make these chapters not so long, so if one is too long I'll have to split it into two for now on.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Door To Darkness Part 2**

It was nighttime on the island, usually this would be the time where it cools down, but even under the warm sun, Yume would still keep her long-sleeved coat on. Her friends would ask how she could wear a long-sleeved jacket on a hot island, for some reason the heat never bothered her.

It was strange for an islander such as herself to be wearing a long-sleeved jacket. Heck, she didn't even understand why either, but all she knew was that the warmth gave her a comfortable feeling rather than a discomfort one.

She made it to the island and noticed the other boats by the shore, meaning that she wasn't alone.

"Takeo and the others must be here, I gotta find them!" Yume said as she went to look around the island.

Just as things couldn't get any worse, she saw a group of heartless sprouting from the ground like the ones from her dream! Yume gasped in fear, she couldn't believe it. No, there's no way they were real, they can't be!

"Please tell me I'm dreaming!" Yume yelled scared while banging her head.

She wanted to run away and return home, but she couldn't abandon her friends. First she needed to find her friends and get them back safe.

Fortunately, she saw Takeo standing by the palm tree where they last sparred together. He appeared to be staring up at the dark purple cloud for some reason.

She went over to his vicinity, but was shocked when she found him by himself.

"Takeo, where's Nene and the others?!" she asked in panic.

Her spikey-haired friend turns to face her with a smirk on his face.

"Takeo?" Yume said confused, he was beginning to scare her.

"The door's opened, Yume," Takeo said. "Now we can see the outside worlds!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Yume asked. "We gotta find the others!"

"Don't worry, they're coming with us!" Takeo said in a sincere tone which made Yume take a step back.

"W-What do you mean?" Yume was shaking.

"Once we leave this place, this may be it, we may never see our parents again." Takeo said as he stared into the dark sky. "No matter what happens, we must face the darkness no matter what it does to us!"

Yume was confused, this wasn't Takeo. Sure he was always the sincere type, but this was a whole new level. He was acting scary.

Takeo reached out to Yume the same way he did in her dream. Was this a nightmare coming true?

"Takeo…?" Yume said, frightened.

Dark swirls began to rise from the ground, swallowing the two young teens, Yume tried to reach Takeo's hand to save him, but to no avail. Eventually, they were both swallowed by the darkness.

Yume found herself floating into the void of darkness. There was nothing but pitch blackness.

Just when she thought the darkness got the best of her, a light shined through and saved her as it brought her back to the island, if that wasn't enough, she was given a weapon of some sort.

"_Fear not the darkness," _it was that voice again, the one from her dream. "_For within you lies the strongest weapon in the worlds." _

"What's this?" Yume took a better glimpse at the weapon in her hand. "Is it a key or a sword?"

The weapon looked quite beautiful for a weapon, the shaft was a platinum color, and the handle was a sky blue color, it was shaped like a harp, the teeth were styled to look like curves. There was a keychain that was attached to the handle that was shaped like a mouse's head.

"_A Keyblade…" _The voice said.

"A Keyblade?" Yume raised a brow.

With her new weapon in hand, Yume decided to fight her way against the heartless that came attacking her, surprisingly this keyblade was able to exterminate the foul creatures.

She managed to get to the secret place to see if she might find one of her friends there. Only to discover that there was no one to be found.

Yume began to feel a negative sensation. Her knees grew heavy, making her drop on the floor. Her head was aching, and vision was getting blurring. Where was this feeling coming from?

The mysterious door in the center of the cave burst with gusts of darkness. The impact was so strong that it blew Yume out of the Secret Place.

Yume fell flat on her face in the sand, she realized that she landed on a broken piece of the small island.

Just when it couldn't get any worse for her, Dark Side came back from her dream as well, it looked scarier up close.

"Not you too!" Yume yelled.

The young girl stood putrefied, she watched as the ginormous monster bulged it's fist into the ground, summoning more of the little black creatures.

"Looks like I don't have a choice." Yume said as she gripped her Keyblade.

Without hesitation, Yume quickly dashed through the little bug-like monsters and slashed each and every one of them. They were no trouble at all, however Dark Side kept summoning more of them.

It looks like she'll have to deal with the big one first. She tried hitting against its hand, but it reflected her Keyblade like its skin was made of steel.

_"I can't hit him with a direct attack," _Yume thought. _"There must be some sort of weak spot." _

Then Yume looked up at Dark Side's face. It appeared to be wide open. That must be it's weak spot.

Yume charged and did a high jump, reaching its face and slashed it, making it give out a screech in agony.

Apparently that wasn't enough to take it down. It balled it's hand into a fist in an attempt to hit the young girl as an act of revenge.

Yume didn't know what to do next, she was terrified at the thought of being crushed by that monster.

"Stop!" Yume yelled as she reached out her hand in a halt position. A large flash of light burst out of her palm, obliterating Dark Side as it disintegrated .

Yume looked at her palm in shock. "D-Did I just do that?!"

She couldn't have done that could she? That's impossible! What was going on?! Before she could even have a moment to think all this through, a blackhole in the sky began sucking everything in.

Yume tried to hold on to the wooden plank that was left of the island, but her hand lost its grip. She got sucked into the blackhole to who knows where.

Destiny Island was now partially gone, the only thing that remained of it was the main island.

* * *

**A/N: **Now the main story begins! I originally was going to give Yume the Kingdom Key, but then I realized it wouldn't make her stand out, so I decided to give her an original Keyblade. It's called 'Serenity Maiden'. And just to make things clear, no Destiny Island is not lost in darkness again...well not all of it anyway, only part of it got lost and that was the small island. So you could say it was partially lost.

Let me know what you guys think!


	9. Traverse Town (Part 1)

**A/N:** Man, when it come to being in home all day, all you can do is write, write, write. Which is good, considering the fact that I've been working on my stories as such.

Now without further or do, let's get on with on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Traverse Town**

"Noctis hold up," said a young girl who appeared to be in her late teens. She had pink hair that was picked up on the left side of her head, and had blue eyes. She was trying to catch up to a young man with black spikey hair. "You're going too fast!"

"We must hurry before we encounter the heartless Serah!" Noctis said in a firm voice as he ran. "Running into them is the last thing we wanna do!"

The two of them were in a hurry to get back to the hotel they were staying at since they traveled to this world. They've heard about the heartless invasion and decided to get to the bottom of the catastrophe.

They warned the civilians of Traverse Town to stay indoors so that they wouldn't get caught by the heartless.

"You'd think Stella's ok?" Serah asked.

"I'm sure she's fine," Noctis assured. "She can take care of herself."

The pink haired girl stopped mid-way as she noticed a group of heartless were surrounding an unconscious girl in the alleyway. "Noctis look!"

The young man took a step back and looked where Serah was pointing. "Those bastards!" He whipped out his Phantom Sword and warped through the heartless. "Get away from her!"

Serah went up to the poor girl to see if she was okay while Noctis was fighting off the heartless, she scanned her from head to toe and from the looks of it, she seemed to be unharmed. But there was more to this girl from what she was sensing.

There was a strong light coming from her chest, that could only mean one thing. Was she the girl they were looking for?

After Noctis defeated the heartless, he went over to Serah and the other girl. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Serah nodded. "Hey Noctis, I think there's a reason why the heartless were crowding this girl. It must be her heart that attracted them."

"I see," Noctis said, folding his arms. "So she must be one of the pure maidens."

"But that's not all," Serah added. "Her heart seems to possess an extraordinary amount of light. She's not like the others."

Noctis put his hand on his chin in deep thought. "Is that so? Well then, we'll have to take her back to the hotel and sort things out from there, it's too dangerous to leave her out here by herself." He picked up the young girl in bridal style and walked out of the alleyway along with his pink haired friend.

* * *

"Garsh it feels like ages since we've been here, aye Donald?" Goofy asked.

The duo were finally in Traverse Town, after blasting through all those annoying meteors and moon rocks along their travel. The town was still the same as ever with it's eternal night sky and friendly people walking by.

"It's only been twenty year," Donald said irritated with his arms folded. "Where could Yume be?"

"Ya think we should go find Noctis and ask him?" Goofy asked.

"We might as well," Donald quaked.

Goofy looked up at the night sky and noticed that one of the stars was only half blinking.

"Say Donald, does that star look funny to you?" Goofy asked while pointing at the sky.

"Who cares? Let's focus on the mission." Donald said with no consideration.

The magician felt someone poke at him from behind causing him to jump in fear, he held onto the clumsy knight startled.

"Are you the king's companions?" asked a young woman. She had golden blond hair that went down to her shoulders, she wore a white short-sleeved blouse over a black dress with a ruffled skirt, and short black heel boots.

"Who are you?" Donald asked.

"I'm Stella, and I couldn't help but overhear you looking for Noctis?"

* * *

Yume regained consciousness and found herself in some sort of room. She used her arms to pull herself from the bed she was laying on, she groaned as she held her head in pain.

"Are you ok?" asked Serah.

Yume turned to the older girl who was watching over her, with a moogle next to her.

"Yeah I'm fine," Yume said. "Where am I?"

"You're in Traverse Town's Hotel," Serah answered. "Don't worry you'll be safe here."

"How'd I get here?" the young blond girl asked.

"Noctis and Serah found you, kupo!" Moogle said. "On their way back they found you unconscious and surrounded by the heartless, kupo!"

"The heartless?" Yume raised a brow.

"They're creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts," Noctis intervened. "They go out stealing hearts from other people, they're also attracted to light."

"But why were they after me?" Yume asked, confused.

"It's because of your heart," the young man pointed towards Yume's chest. "It's filled with pure light."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

Right next to Yume, Serah, and Noctis' room was Stella's room along with Donald and Goofy. Both of them were having the same conversations right next door to each other.

"Alright," Stella began, with her hands on her lap as she was sitting on her bed. "You've heard about the pure maidens, also known as the Princesses of Hearts, right?"

"Yep," Donald nodded.

"They're the only ones who don't have darkness in their hearts." Goofy stated.

"Right," Stella assured. "Originally, there were only seven of them, until recently a new pure light maiden was born. Thus, making them eight."

"You mean…" Donald frozed knowing who it was.

"Yume?" Goofy finished with his hands on his mouth.

Stella nodded. "Yes, after Kairi gave birth to Yume, she immediately became a new Princess of Heart."

* * *

"So, I'm a pure light maiden?" Yume asked, astounded.

"That's right," Noctis replied. "The heart contains both light and darkness within everyone, however, many years ago that cycle was broken when seven females were born with purity, thus giving them hearts of pure light, not a spec of darkness. For centuries, they've been passed down throughout the generations. Then a new pure maiden was born, but she was unlike the others, her heart possessed an extraordinary amount of light. Making her the purest of them all. People from all over the worlds, worshiped her like a goddess."

"Like a goddess?" Yume said dumbfounded. To think such a being could actually exist.

* * *

"Garsh! Was she that special!" Goofy asked, amazed.

"Mmm-hmm," Stella nodded. "She would lend her light to those in need of it, she healed those who were sick, and saved the lives of people who were affected by darkness. She even restored the heartless back to their human forms."

"Wow…" Donald said, impressed.

"Sadly, though she died from a mysterious illness, some say it had something to do with being affected by darkness, others say the sensitivity was too strong that it led to her death."

"Ohh…" Donald and Goofy lowered their heads in sadness.

* * *

"But why though?" Yume asked, not understanding.

"The Princesses of Hearts are sensitive to darkness," Serah told the young girl. "It makes them very sick and if they sense too much of it, it can kill them."

Yume felt her heart fall to her stomach after hearing that info. Does that mean the same thing will happen to her?

"Sounds scary doesn't it, kupo?" Moogle commented. "Must be hard being a Princess of Heart, kupo."

"Unfortunately for you Yume, you have a strong amount of light in your heart as well. You are the first pure maiden in centuries to have a lot of light. That's why it's best you avoid darkness at all times." Noctis informed.

"You mean, I could die like the last purest maiden?!" Yume said, scared.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure that you know how to defend yourself in case any other heartless show up. Now that you're the Keyblade's next chosen one, you'll need to learn how to use it." The young man assured the frightened girl.

"The Keyblade?" Yume remembered the voice in her head mentioning it back in the island, but she didn't know what it was.

"It's a sword that's in the shape of a key." Serah explained. "It can open any lock, no problem. And has the ability to release hearts from the heartless. Only those with strong hearts can wield them."

Yume just realized an old memory about her father telling her stories of his adventures. She did recall him saying something using a Keyblade, but it's been so long that she completely forgot about it.

"My dad once told me about it when I was little," Yume recalled. "But he never explained what it was to me, maybe because I was too young to understand at the time."

"Well, now you know!" Serah said as she patted Yume's shoulder. "Say, why don't you try summoning it?"

"How do I do that?"

"You need to let your heart call out for it," Noctis explained. "First you must reach out to it, and let your heart do the rest."

Yume still didn't get it, but she went with it anyway. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she focused, then she reached for her Keyblade, then before she knew it a key-shaped weapon appeared in her hand out of thin air.

"Wow, what a pretty Keyblade kupo!" Moogle said as he clapped his hands excited.

"Good, now that you know how to summon it, you should be prepared to use it in training." Noctis instructed.

"By the way, have you ever heard a woman named Nerissa?" Serah asked.

* * *

"Nerissa?" Goofy said, raising a brow while he scratched his head.

"Yes, she's known as the Mistress of Darkness and for good reason. Centuries ago, she was experimented to become the first pure dark maiden, a being with a heart that devoid light. Basically the opposite of a pure light maiden." The young woman explained to the magician and knight.

"Could someone like that even survive with a heart filled with darkness?" Donald asked puzzled.

Stella closed her eyes in deep thought before continuing. "Some say it's nearly impossible for a human being to live with a heart of pure darkness, but surprisingly Nerissa was one of the few to actually survive. Normally when someone's heart is extracted whether it be his or her light or darkness, the heart becomes severely scattered thus a person can suffer an near-death experience."

"Say, didn't Veggie go through that once?" Goofy asked. The king told them about the incident of Xehanort extracting Ventus' heart a while back.

"His name was Ventus you nincompoop!" Donald quacked.

"That was only because his heart must've been extracted by force." Stella pointed out. "But for Nerissa it was a special case, because they never extracted the light from her heart, instead they injected so much darkness in it to the point where all her light vanished. With that, she became the first pure dark maiden."

* * *

"And ever since then, she's been using her dark powers to commit immoral deeds." Noctis continued. "So far, she's plunged over five-hundreds worlds into darkness."

"What?!" Yume jumped on her seat of the bed.

"That's not all though," Serah added. "Her goal is to obtain a pure light combined with her pure darkness to create a whole new world. One that is inhabited by darkness, no light whatsoever."

"Is that bad?"

"Of course it is," Noctis answered with a stern tone. "Every world is made out of light and darkness, our universe needs both in order to maintain its peaceful nature. If the balance is broken, it can lead to chaos to the other worlds."

Serah placed her hand on Yume's shoulder. "So you see Yume, you're the only one who can put an end to Nerissa's scheme. There's no one else who can do it, not even the other Princesses of Hearts can take her down with their powers alone."

Yume pointed to herself. "Why me?"

"It's said that only the purest of light can take on the purest of darkness. Now that you're the newest pure maiden to have a strong amount of light, you need to use it against Nerissa."

This was a lot for Yume to take in. First her homeland gets invaded by those yellow-eyed freaks, and now she's put into this position where she needs to take down someone?! What is going on here?

"B-But, I can't be the one," the young girl said frightened. "I didn't ask to be a pure maiden! I don't even think I have what it takes to face her!"

"Sorry kid," Noctis closed his eyes with his arms folded. "But I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter."

"Don't worry Yume," Serah reassured the younger girl. "We're gonna help you, we'll make sure you have what it takes to face Nerissa."

Yume took a good look at her Keyblade, it must've chosen her for a reason. But why would it choose a girl like her? What was so special about her that made it choose her, out of all people? She still didn't know what was going on, but now she's left with no other option. If this can help her find her friends and get back home, then it's worth a shot.

"And if I stopped Nerissa, will I be able to go back home?" Yume asked kindly.

"Of course," Noctis said.

After a moment of thought, Yume stood up from bed. "Alright,"

"Hooray kupo!" Moogle cheered.

* * *

"So you see Donald and Goofy," Stella spoked. "That's why you two must protect Yume at all times, there's no doubt that Nerissa is after her heart. It's the only thing she needs to create her own dark world."

"Garsh, does Yume even know about this?" Goofy asked, concerned.

Stella shook her head. "It's best to wait till the time is right to inform her, remembered she's at a troublesome age at this time. We don't want to trouble her even more."

"In that case, we'll protect Yume by all means necessary!" Donald said with a hand on his chest in honor. "Besides, Sora would kill us if we let anything happen to her."

"Good," The young woman said with a warm smile. "Well then, why don't you two settled down for a bit until Noctis returns?" Stella suggested as she went to the hotel's kitchen to make some tea, leaving Donald and Goofy alone.

"Don't you think Nerissa was the new enemy the king mentioned in the letter?" Goofy asked his feathered friend.

"Obviously," Donald replied.

* * *

"What now?" Yume asked.

"First things first, we need to get you prepped up for battle," Noctis recommended. "We'll take you outside to train, then when Stella comes back she'll teach you how to use your light powers."

"You mean Stella has light powers too?"

"Yes," Serah answered. "She's an expert when it comes to manipulating light, so she's the perfect mentor for you."

"Come on," Noctis said as he headed out the door. "Let's get going."

Yume, Noctis, Serah, and Moogle all left the room and exited the hotel, as they prepared for the training.

* * *

**A/N:** Boy did this took a lot out of me. Originally I was planning to add Luna in this story, but after discovering Stella in original cut contexts from FF Versus XIII, I thought she was a way better character than Luna, even though there was only a few scenes of her :'(. And yes, I am aware that Nomura is planning to revived FF Versus XIII as Verum X in Kingdom Hearts which I'm super excited for, it'd be super cool to see Kingdom Hearts take on a different route aside from Disney. As for Melody Of Memories, fuck that game! I don't care if it's gonna be cannon, I've had enough of Square ruining the good name of Kingdom Hearts with stupid spin offs that are pointless no matter how much they try to tie it into to the story.

Sorry for that small rant 😅.


End file.
